But I was reading a Nigerien professor (who doesn't like the military, thinks they're a bunch of fascists with a lot of delusions) and he wasn't blaming the French for why the situation was fucked up, it was more that the civilian government (they've had several since the 1990s that would be interrupted by military coups) was hardly different or better than the military. And as far as the average guy there was concerned, all he'd know is that there was chaos, terrorists, jihadists, and also French troops rolling around in armored vehicles, and he's powerless, so it was very easily to start being like grrrrrr and then get snookered by the argument that "it's all connected" so the solution = get rid of the French. There are a bunch of people who believe the jihadists are all secret French agents wearing bad jihadi costumes. It's not the reality but it "made sense" as a narrative, and people bought it.

But his sense is that there has been a lot of air going out of the balloon since then, because the military has solved none of the problems. It might have even gotten worse. And now you're living under military rule where there's no room for criticism at all (unless you live abroad).

But I was reading a Nigerien professor (who doesn't like the military, thinks they're a bunch of fascists with a lot of delusions) and he wasn't blaming the French for why the situation was fucked up, it was more that the civilian government (they've had several since the 1990s that would be interrupted by military coups) was hardly different or better than the military. And as far as the average guy there was concerned, all he'd know is that there was chaos, terrorists, jihadists, and also French troops rolling around in armored vehicles, and he's powerless, so it was very easily to start being like grrrrrr and then get snookered by the argument that "it's all connected" so the solution = get rid of the French. There are a bunch of people who believe the jihadists are all secret French agents wearing bad jihadi costumes. It's not the reality but it "made sense" as a narrative, and people bought it.

But his sense is that there has been a lot of air going out of the balloon since then, because the military has solved none of the problems. It might have even gotten worse. And now you're living under military rule where there's no room for criticism at all (unless you live abroad).