What's Russia's Role in Niger? | Yet Another Military Intervention in Haiti?

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Scenes from a pro-coup protest in Niger, taken from a screenshot from an Al Jazeera segment.

When I first saw news that the democratically elected government in Niger had been toppled in a coup, I initially wondered if Moscow had anything to do with it? After all, the military Junta in neighboring Mali has embraced Moscow, and in neighboring Burkina Faso coup leaders are openly flirting with the Wagner group.

But Niger was different. It was in the process of real democratic consolidation. Jihadist violence was at a two year low, and the economy was starting to pick up. Also, unlike Mali or Burkina Faso, there was no precipitating crisis that lead to the coup. There were no street protests to suggest that a renegade general might harness popular discontent to install himself in power. Instead, what seems to have happened is that a democratically elected president wanted to fire a top general — so the general toppled the government instead.

Still, there seems to be an emerging Russian …