A Coup in Niger

Things became interesting in the country of Niger today.  I touched base with a friend of mine who lives in Niamey and he indicated that everything is OK.  Below is what he had to say about the coup:

"I'm doing well.The situation is under control.The President lost all his power.The population appreicated the COUP and they are ready to help the military to fullfil the goals of that coup.



The days to come we will go on election to determine who will be the President elect.Tandja is safe and sound.The military is making sure he will not loose his life.That's all I know about the COUP."

It really changes your perspective on things when you've been there.  In fact, the governmental crisis which led to today's coup was of real concern while I was in Niger this past summer.  I pray that a truly free election and good governance will be the result.  That is unlikely in a country where the literacy rate is extremely low and poverty is the norm.

The above photo was taken in a small village about 30 minutes from the capital city of Niamey, Niger, in July, 2009.  It illustrates the poverty of the people.  The scene is from the village market.  (Ignore the Anasari -- white people -- in the picture)

Random Pic's From Niger

The photos below are from my recent trip to Niger, Africa. I am leaving out captions. You can see that my primary focus was the people.

Niger -- Opportunity or Exploitation?

Niger is a landlocked country on the African continent slightly less than twice the size of Texas. Its economy is based primarily on agriculture but the country has mineral assets consisting of uranium, coal, iron ore, tin, phosphates, gold, molybdenum, gypsum, salt and petroleum. Only 11.43% of the land is arable. It is predominately desert (Sahara).

It is one of the hottest countries on earth. It is also one of the poorest.

The male life expectancy is 51.39 years. Female is 53.85 years.

Infant mortality is 116.66/1,000. 5th worst in the world.

CIA ranks risk of major diseases as very high.

The country has a 28.7% literacy rate.

The country is currently in a political crisis. The President, Mamadou Tanja, is seeking to extend his term as President. He is limited by the constitution, but recently fired all cabinet and elected officials and called a Constitutional Convention to change the constitution to allow additional terms in office. The people seem to support him in this. The Convention has until August 4th to come up with a new Constitution.

The country is one of the poorest in the world.

It is being slowly invaded by China who has its eye on the uranium deposits -- some of the largest in the world.

When I flew into the country a few weeks ago, I would estimate there were at least 30 Chinese mining engineers on the flight with me. Locals told me that such events were commonplace.

I saw Chinese made tractors in the hands of at least one regional governor. Hmmmm.

The U.S. had better step up quickly or the Chinese will control the minerals of this poor and desperate country.

What better way for a political leader seeking to extend his power than to provide gifts to the poor of his country -- gifts that cost him nothing (tractors) yet are signs of an attempt to influence the bidding of contracts for the few resources the country has that have significant value on the world market.