Geopolitical Upheaval: North Korea Steps onto West's Niger Turf!

Hello everybody and welcome to Geopolitical Trends. So excited to be with you on this Monday, so first day of the week. So hope you had a good weekend. So I'm excited to be here because of the nature of the topic that I want to talk to you about today. As a matter of fact, many of you have asked me to do follow-up on the recent developments which has not been covered extensively in the West, and this one has to do with North Korea and Burkina Faso reestablishing their diplomatic ties. There's a lot to unpack into all this, so I'm gonna just, uh, provide you— not just my members and supporters, and for you, if this is your first time here, please make sure to hit the, the subscribe to the channel and smash that notification button so you'll be notified every time I upload a new video or come on the air to do a live stream. I also like to give a shout out to a new channel supporter by the name of Tatiana Pavlovic. Thank you so much for becoming channel members. I really, uh, appreciate it. So I have one announcement to make for you guys before I'll delve deeper into this channel. I, uh, released the first video in the health channel, so make sure to check it out. And I am gonna share the link with you to the video, uh, copy link here. I'm gonna share it with you guys and take a look at it because I'm gonna be doing, like I said last time, detailed, uh, presentations about the health tips because If there is one thing I can advise you that has to do with maintaining your health— your health is your asset. Monetary gain comes and goes, uh, material, uh, I mean, the material, uh, wealth and all that, it comes and goes. But if you lose your health, you get nothing. So this is why I decided to launch that channel, and I look forward to your support and interacting with you. I'm And by the way, I will be making live videos about— there are certain tips I'll share with you, like for example why turmeric is so important. But I'm going to do a video to show you how I use it personally, because I only share with you what I do. So, all right, let's get in into our topic today. Well, like I always do, I'll ask 2 or 3 questions just to put things in perspective for you. I have to adjust the camera here. There we go. Uh, so with North Korea and Burkina Faso establishing ties, how is the West reacting to that? Because remember, they used to have diplomatic ties before. Burkina Faso cut off those ties under pressure, of course, from France at that time. Now the tables are turning around. So, so, and the West seems to be taken by surprise. No. The second question is, does North Korea's decision, uh, have to do anything with the Russian defense minister's recent visit to North Korea? Uh, Sergey Shoigu was in North Korea about 3 weeks ago, and funny, a week after his visit, the diplomatic ties were established. Because remember, North Korea is a client of Russia. North Korea didn't develop, by the way, this missile technology on its own. So remember, North Korea is also a client of China because both countries take an interest in what's going on, uh, on the borders of North Korea with South Korea's, especially with the US moving its, uh, nuclear assets around that area. So, and the third question we need to ask is, what are the geopolitical ramifications? Yeah, there will be ramifications to all this because to those who might think, oh, this is just has to do with diplomatic diplomatic ties. No, it goes beyond that. I'm talking about major shifts within the geopolitical setting itself when it comes down to Africa. It's almost like— and I feel comfortable saying this— almost like Africa's waking up, you know. This is why France is having a hard time. And I'm gonna share with you the detail that some details wasn't, wasn't reported. So, so the whole big picture Uh, if you are to think about, uh, how to place this within the geopolitical landscape, well, uh, sort of, uh, uh, to me, I look at it like a twist no Western strategist saw coming. You know, that is the thing. When Burkina Faso flings its door open, wide open, to North Korea So this is a shakeup geopolitically, geopolitically speaking. So because this is where shakeup now the geopolitical dynamics to the core of what's going on, not only in Africa but on the global stage. So as diplomatic ties sort of wave or weave with the knee or keen rather focus on armaments. The West now scrambles to make sense of this audacious alliance. Yes, we can feel comfortable using the term audacious. Yeah, because that's what it is. So as I dis— and by the way, I have the link for you to the article that I, that I got, which was, by the way, in French language. Uh, I speak French, so, and I, uh Let me share it with you here so you'll have, you'll have it. Some of you, my— I'm sure some of you speak French, maybe. And, uh, this one, when I had a chance to— as a matter of fact, when you click on it, guys, it will give you the option if you want to translate it, and you can go ahead, of course, and translate it so you can read it, uh, in, in a language version. So, so that's what prompted me to do the video. It's because I noticed, uh, I noticed that, you know, it's not, is not being covered, uh, and, and makes me wonder. As an analyst, I always ask why, why that is. So, and this is where the reason why I'm doing it. So the idea of, uh, like I said, no Western strategist saw this coming because now North Korea intends to provide its security support Well, just take a step back and think about that. It's security support. What are we talking about here? Well, sending bodyguards? No, they're gonna be talking about armaments. This is why now Burkina Faso's president Ibrahim Traoré, the captain— or is he young, by the way? There's one thing you need to know about that guy. When he conducted the coup, took over, guess what the first thing he did? He gave up his salary. He doesn't have a salary. So he's the young generation of military leaders. So he's seeing what his country sort of suffering, and this is the reason why he claimed his support for Niger. So, and as a matter of fact, he now asking for the consideration for nuclear technologies developments in Burkina Faso. Why is this, you may ask? Well, they have access to uranium, massive. As a matter of fact, North Korea decided to move forward with this is because of access to uranium. In exchange is going to be for armaments. And we all know one thing about North Korea, it's missile technology. So that is one of the reasons. So, and this is what North Korean saying, uh, and I quote here, uh, intends to provide its security support— and I put this in quote— through the granting of equipment and military material, end of quote. And this, by the way, the statement was by the foreign minister of Burkina Faso. Her name is Olivia Rawamba. So it's a very, very interesting dynamic. So because now you're talking about this restoration of diplomatic ties with North Korea. That's going to now pave the way for a different, uh, geopolitical shift in the region— in the region, that is— which France cannot do squat about. It— yeah, I found it very, very surprising. So, so here's where things stand as of today. Like I said earlier, there are so many facets to cover this topic from, but I'm going to focus just on, uh, on basically on Burkina Faso, but also on, uh, uh, how France have violated the airspace of Niger, which is a violation of international law. If a country shuts its airspace, you can't violate that. Well, France just did. And this, by the way, was a claim by the new military junta there. So, so Nigerian military junta has accused now France, or French troops that is, of breaching the country's airspace, you know, to the point that it's raising red flags for how come France is not adhering to international law. So even if we are to say maybe those just alleged allegations, but those are serious allegations. You know, I hope this junta is not making things up also, because that's a creation of serious problems. So, so, and this, by the way, this, uh, this statements or the accusations— so far I call it accusations because I couldn't confirm that 100%. It was, uh, stated by the spokesperson, uh, spokesman Colonel, uh, Amadou Abderrahman. So So the interesting aspect of this, there is one thing I need you to understand which you might not come across through certain, uh, uh, certain media outlets, is that the military junta in, in Niger, did you know that 5 of the top of those military have been trained in the United States? Surprising, huh? So, so those individuals were trained by the United States. So I'm going to give you an example here. So the US has trained at least 5 members of the new ruling junta in Niger. So, so sort of for now, the United States has paused its security assistance to really reevaluate. And this is why we kind of— our foreign policy is blinded We just embark on foreign policies without thinking strategically. Here is an example of it. So, so, and this is why this— now you got, uh, uh, the Niger, uh, even will be assisted to ramp up such aid. Uh, for example, the United States will even, uh, uh, limit its aid to Burkina Faso. Why? Because Burkina Faso has, uh, declared its support for Niger. So, so, so the Nigerian, uh, Nigerian, uh, uh, or Nigerian, Nigerian junta, which calls itself the National Council of the Safeguarding of the Fatherland, as you may know, seized power on July 22nd, okay, and, uh, removed the, the, uh, President Muhammad Bazoum. Why? Because Muhammad Bazoum wasn't serving the people. The welfare of the people in Niger was still the same. So how come you got a country that is so rich and France is taking all that and the locals are not benefiting from that? So, so the commander who conducted the coup, the commander who was usually the country's presidential guard general, Abdourahmane Tiani, he's known also as Tiani with T-I-A-N-I. So now this general has, uh, who now claim himself to be the head of the leader, has been, uh, uh, and met— by the way, he met with the Under Secretary for Political Affairs and the Acting Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland, and he told her to get out of the country. He's like, no, because she asked him to free Mohamed Bazoum. Uh, actually, here is one thing that I need you to get. The military junta have declared now that if there is a military intervention by ECOWAS, they're gonna execute that, the president Mohamed Bazoum. Straightforward. They don't fool around. That's how they, they're saying it. So So here's the thing that I need you to know about this general, by the way. So diplomatic cables released, uh, way a few years ago shows that at that time General Tiani, or Tiani, he was Lieutenant Colonel, was selected to attend a year-long International Counterterrorism, uh, Fellows program at the National Defense University in Washington, DC. It was from 2009 to 2010. So that's what's interesting. It was another general by the name of Muhammad Tumba, who is part of this crew here, uh, who spoke, by the way, at the stadium, who also took, uh, took, uh, uh, training by the United States. So, so you got another one by the name General Moussa Salahou Barmou, who headed Niger Special Forces and now serves as the Chief of Defense, also attended the National Defense University, you know. And I'm not going to cite all of them, I just want to highlight to you, you know, those guys been trained by the US and now they turning the table around. And as a matter of fact, like I said, and I confirmed it, by the way, uh, uh, I confirmed it, that, uh, uh, this military junta, uh, Barmou, who told Nuland, yeah, he told her that the junta, which is the junta or junta depending on how you pronounce it, in Niger will execute, will execute Bazoum, the president, if neighboring countries attempt a military intervention to restore his rule. So this is where Burkina Faso comes in. So you have now 5 countries— yes, 5— that have declared their support for Niger. Let's start with Russia, the Wagner Group, is already on its way. So you have Wagner, you got Burkina Faso, you got Mali, you got Algeria, then you have, I think, uh, uh, uh, uh, Kenya. Yeah, we don't hear much about all this. It's because this is why ECOWAS now it's taking step back and reconsidering Because this, if the military intervention moves forward, you're looking at it destabilizing the entire region. And let me just share with you the geography of not only the region of the Sahel but a whole Africa to put this in perspective for you, because you need to understand these aspects of it. So, so let me share, uh, let me share some pictures with you because you need to see certain images. So this is, of course, for those who just joining us right now, this is what we're going to be talking about: Burkina Faso, uh, uh, reestablishing its diplomatic ties with North Korea. So, so, and I'm gonna leave the map for L here because there are two separate maps that I need to share with you. First of all, let me just give you a brief, uh, uh, uh, uh, outline or outlook about Africa. Well, Africa is the second largest continent. It's bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea. That's how far it goes, uh, so to the Red Sea, to the Indian Ocean, and to the Atlantic Ocean. It is divided equally in half, almost half, by the equator. That's what's interesting about Africa. So the physical geography of Africa itself, the environment, the resources, the human geography can be considered separately, of course. And I'm not going to go through all this because it'll take forever. So, but you need to know at least the 8— there are 8, yes, 8 major physical regions in Africa. You have the Sahara, you have the Sahel, which what we're going to be focusing on, you have the Ethiopian Highland, you have highlands, you have the savannas, you have the Swahili Coast, you have the rainforest, then the African Great Lakes, and Southern Africa. Some of these regions cover large bands of the continent, such as the Sahara, which you're looking at that picture there, so, and the Sahel region, while others are isolated areas such as the Ethiopian Highlands and the Great Lakes. So each of these regions, geographically speaking, has a unique— by the way, that's why you see those exotic animals and so forth. Uh, this is the reason why. So, so let me share with you now briefly the geography of the Sahel. You have to have an understanding of this, otherwise it would not make sense to you. So, so the Sahel, when you look at the Sahel, you look at this region, uh, the, the whole map you are looking at right now, which basically the Sahel is, is this band of territory in Africa that stretches from the length of the continent. What I mean is from the Atlantic Ocean, okay, the Atlantic coast of Senegal, the Atlantic Ocean that will be, and Mauritania, all the way to the Red Sea. Of Eritrea. So basically you're going from here all the way to here, which is the length. If, as I said, you divide halfway of the equator, that's what you're looking at. So the, the countries of interest to us in our conversations are the one lining up here. So, and if you look at— I'm gonna put my glasses here to see clearly— if you look at, here is Niger. Okay, so when I said 5 countries already declared their support, you have the Wagner, Russia that is, then you have Mali, okay, then you have Burkina Faso right here, okay, then you have, uh, I think the other country was, I said Algeria because of the border from the north here, north of Niger, then you have the, uh Which country did I say? Cameroon. Cameroon. So this is why it's very important to understand this geography. Very, very, very important. So, so when you look at the, the Sahel, uh, Sahel in itself, that bond of countries, it's, it acts as a buffer or transition zone between the Sahara Desert, desert at the top to the north, of course, of the Sahel, and to the fertile savannas in the south. So, and by the way, just FYI, the Sahel was once home to several indigenous African kingdoms. That's why we don't hear much about it. So when you look at the Sahel literally, which by the way, it's an Arabic word for the edge. Asahil is the same pronunciation in Arabic language. So, so, and here is where this whole dilemma now is coming up with Burkina Faso. After Burkina— after kicking France out of, uh, Burkina Faso, Burkina Faso went ahead and restores the diplomatic ties with North Korea. So, and this is for a reason, because France or the West didn't see this coming. They really didn't. They're thinking now Burkina Faso is going to be on its own, and they are not. Why? Because Burkina Faso went ahead and banned— yes, Niger, that is, I'm sorry, uh, banned the export of uranium and gold to France. France depends a lot on uranium, despite what you hear, despite what you hear. Massive, massive amount of uranium gets sent to France, and the African, or people in Niger and Burkina Faso for that matter, are not taking advantage of that, or not being compensated for. So this is why you have these young leaders now pushing for the coup to change the regime to benefit their people. Now whether you agree with the coup or not, it's beside the point. All I am talking about here is providing you an understanding of where this is going geopolitically. So now you have the ECOWAS, of course, the ECOWAS, which is the Economic Community of West African States, you know, which is, by the way, is a Western-aligned African bloc. Now it's declaring that it was intended on conducting military intervention if the president of Niger, Bazoum, is not reinstated. Now they are retracting that statement. Why? Because they are seeing more countries moving forward in support of Niger. So, so no matter what you hear, this is why I've said Niger is not like— is without allies in the, in this situation. You know, the three neighboring countries, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Guinea, have already shown solidarity with Niger. Then you add now Korea's coming into the fray through Burkina Faso. And this is why ECOWAS now rethinking its plan. This is why the president of Burkina Faso, Ibrahim Traoré, has also banned uranium export to France and the US. So indicating— this is his reason— indicating this crisis is not isolated but part of the larger regional shift. This is why I say you guys need to think about this from a really geopolitical landscape or under the lenses of geopolitics, because it's not limited just to that region. So what we are seeing here basically is the laying the groundwork for what would potentially be a new proxy war in Africa. I am not surprised. I argued that it would be just a matter of time before Africa turns into the next geopolitical ring where major powers are gonna be competing against each other. Well, when I say major powers, who am I referring to here? I'm referring to China, Russia, and the United States. But when I see United States, I'm also referring to France and NATO for that matter. Now it makes sense to you why when I did a video about a month and a half ago about NATO expanding in the Sahel. Now you see why. So, and here is the thing, when this change takes place, uh, as I said, the proxy war in Africa with the primary point of contention being— it's not about militarization, is access to resources, because now Europeans going to find out they don't have access to, to, uh, to unlimited amount of uranium, okay? And also they're looking at now certain countries in that region are rearming themselves. France got kicked out of Mali and now kicked out of Niger, you know. And by the way, let me show you, I'm gonna share a screen with you here, guys, to see. I'm gonna show you a map of how much France was colonizing, uh, uh, Africa. Just take a look. Share screen. And by the way, this one was sent to me via my Twitter account. Okay, here we go. Oh, let me remove that one. Here we go, guys. Look at this one here. Check this out. And this one here, those are former French colonies in Africa. I'm not going to go through all of them, but I highlight the key ones: Burkina Faso, Mali, Algeria, uh, Morocco up north, Mauritania, so forth. We're going to focus on the one close by. Togo, Benin. Because remember where the Sahel region is, it's all of it right here. And look at the year of independence for those countries. The latest one was in 1977, and yet France still taking advantage of the resources coming out of France— out of Africa, rather. So this is why you are looking at the changes that's taking place right now in the, the, uh, in, in, in the Sahel region, especially with the Niger and so forth. So now there is one thing we need to understand, which is the role of the, uh, uh, ECOWAS that's going to play a role into all this, because it's very, very important to understand it. So let me share an image with you here about the ECOWAS right there, that's the logo. So what is ECOWAS? It's 15 members. Yeah, 15 members of the Economic Community of West African States, and includes— when you look at this map, when you look at the map that I posted for you guys earlier, just look at this map here, and I'm going to share the countries with you so you'll have an idea. You know, the countries are Benin, Burkina Faso, Gabo Verde, Côte d'Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo. So remember, the ECOWAS as a whole at that time in its establishment Because remember, it's been established for a while, but it was with the support of the West. That's why it's Western-leaning. And this is why all this hype about ECOWAS now is pushed by none other than the, uh, the senator or Senate senators in Nigeria. This is why Nigeria is so corrupted, because the West clinking its, uh, sinking its claws into the country. And if you know anything about Nigeria, what is Nigeria known for? Can anybody share with me on the screen, on the chat box, what is Nigeria known for? So yeah, if you can just type in that on the, on, on the chat box, please. Oh, Jeff Tao, thank you so much for your Super Sticker, truly appreciate it. Thank you, Jeff. So, so if you think about Nigeria, what is Nigeria known for? And remember, this ECOWAS thing existed to raise the living standards of the people. Where are they? What happened to the people in Senegal? What happened to people in, in Burkina Faso? What happened to people in Niger and Mali and so forth, where French presence was very, very strong? So, so this is why nobody put faith in this ECOWAS, because it's, it's, uh, it's corrupted. So, so this is why now you have the warning from Niger, military-ruled neighbors. Yeah, yeah, came a day after West African leaders supported by Western partners threatened to use force to reinstate the democratically elected Bazoum. Well, like I always say, you know, you call a spade a spade. If we in the West are pushing for the reinstatement of the democratically elected president in Niger, how come we didn't do the same in Ukraine? The people in Ukraine voted democratically in 2014. So that's to me where the double standards is so obvious. Uh, you don't have to be an analyst to see that. So, so, and of course the Western went ahead and issued or slapped financial sanctions on, on the, uh, on the, the individuals who conducted the coup and so forth. So, so in joint statements, the government of Burkina Faso and Mali warned that any military intervention against Niger will be tantamount to a declaration of war against Burkina Faso and Mali. You all know why. It's because who kicked France out of Mali? It was, uh, uh, Mali, of course, but with the help— whose help was it? It was Wagner Group. That's why Wagner Group is going back now. It's going to Burkina— is going to Burkina Faso, as a matter of fact. So this is why I said there are 5 countries willing to step forward: Wagner, Russia, Burkina Faso, Mali, Algeria, and I think Kenya, if I'm not mistaken. So, um, this is where the importance of understanding these dynamics It's very, very, very important to understand that. So if we are to look at the, uh, Burkina Faso, because that's where our conversation is about regarding its diplomatic ties with North Korea. So when you look at Burkina Faso, after kicking France out, that's why they went ahead— they, Burkina Faso, went ahead and restored diplomatic ties with North Korea. Now the question you're going to ask yourself is, what is North Korea bringing to the table? You may ask, uh, the idea of North Korea. North Korea, what is bringing to the, to the table? A lot. And when I say a lot regarding armaments. It's because, remember, throughout history of Africa, it has always been a competing ground between the East and the West. Back then, United States and the Soviet Union. That's why you still have clients of the, uh, former Soviet Union, the current Russian Federation. So, so, and like I said earlier, North Korea is client of Russia. And North Korea has developed some really advanced missile technologies. You're talking about ICBMs. This is why we never had the audacity to attack North Korea, because we know what the consequences will be. North Korea is no small matter when it comes down to armaments. We know what the consequences will be. And we also know, as one who works in Washington, I'm very familiar with that file, the nuclear or North Korean file. North Korea doesn't bluff. We not bluff. As a matter of fact, as we speak, I just read yesterday from overseas, not from here of course, that now they are ramping up— North Korea, that is— ramping up the production of missiles as the United States and South Korea is going to be declaring joint military maneuvers. So North Korea is not going to take any chances. They're going to be prepared. They already developed the ICBM, the intercontinental ballistic missiles, which means they are capable of hitting the United States. So you tell me, North Korea developed that on its own? No, Russia support that. Uh, North Korea is also client of China. I do not know about China, whether China shares the technology, missile technology, with North Korea. I do know that Russia does. So then becomes the elephant in the room, the nuclear weapons. So here's a question for you: does nuke— does North Korea have nuclear weapon? What do you guys think? Leave me an answer on the chat box because I like, I like to pick your brain on this one. So, oh, KL, thank you so much, KL, for your super sticker. Truly appreciate it. What do you think, uh, does North Korea have nuclear weapons? If so, how many? For those who might be aware. So, so this is where you have to put this within the big picture. You know, North Korea also had its own calculations, and the calculations that came up at the top of the list is access to two: gold and uranium. And it's win-win situation for both North Korea and Burkina Faso in this case, North Korea and Niger in the other case as well. Why? Because That means Niger and Burkina Faso found replacements to France at a better value. Remember, I did found the, uh, the, the, the stats for France will sell uranium that's getting from Burkina Faso and Niger, $238 a pound. Yeah, $238 a pound. And the workers in Niger or, or, or Burkina Faso were making $11. Out of that. That's it. $11, 238. So now at least with— which I am sure they're going to cut a deal. Of course North Korea is under sanctions, it's been under sanctions by the UN and so forth, but they're going to figure out a way. No, the second thing is the armaments. North— that's why I put this image here, guys, for a reason. On the thumbnail on the, on the video. This is a North Korean weapon. This is a developed one. Mike, my word on this, you're gonna see these weapons in Burkina Faso and Niger very soon. That's going to change the equation for when France threatened that they're gonna invade. Now they're gonna have to think twice. About doing that because it will be suicide, basically. So that's one of the things. So restoring the diplomatic ties between Burkina Faso and Niger— and, uh, North Korea, I'm sorry— that means now North Korea is entering the fray itself without coming out loud on the global stage and say here I come, I am going to support Niger. They don't want it through diplomatic channels because North Korea is going to be selling some advanced weapon systems to both countries, not for money but for gold and uranium. And this is what France and the West didn't count on. That's why now you have 5 countries already declaring their support. I, I take an interest in this by highlighting why Algeria, you may think, is, is, uh, is, uh, declaring its support. As a matter of fact, Algeria moved some of its troops and weapons to the border. I looked at those images yesterday and confirmed it. Alger— pardon me. Algeria has also a dark, uh, sort of, sort of experienced atrocities under France. Algerians never forget what France did to them. It was horrible back then. So then there is the bigger economic aspects of all this that is now not talked about at all. And this one has to do with the pipeline that is coming from Niger that's going to cross through— let me show the map here so you, you follow me and, and see what I'm referring to here. It was a conversation about a gas pipeline coming out of Niger, cross Algeria, all the way through the Mediterranean into Europe. Forget about it now because even Algeria said, I don't think so. Because why will sell that to Europe for? For what? Europe shot itself on the foot. They embark on policies that doesn't make— don't make or didn't make any sense whatsoever. I am working on a video for you guys, I'm gonna release it soon, to understand in the world of energy how much energy and geopolitics are intertwined. So, so this is why what's very important for you to understand. So, so when ECOWAS, uh, echo this sentiments of we gonna intervene militarily, it's because it's being pushed by the West. But those 5— Mali, Niger, and Burkina, and Burkina Faso— remember, they are a member of ECOWAS. They're saying we will fight you, and it's going to become now on Nigeria because all fingers are pointing to Nigeria being the weak link that is pushed and used by the West to push this narrative of the, uh, military intervention. And now ECOWAS is taking a step back because they realized if the Wagner Group gets involved If Algeria gets involved, if the three other countries gets involved, and now you add North Korea to the mix— because North Korea doesn't need to be there. North Korea will send advanced weapons. It's all they need to do. So, so, and this is why they announced that they will fight ECOWAS no matter what. So and Echo Us because it's getting its backing from France and the United States. That is where, uh, where I see those dynamics— pardon me— with North Korea now really changing the geopolitical calculus for everyone, everyone. So, and, and remember, this is all about access to resources. It's not about democracy. It's because the guy, Bazoum, the president of Niger, democratically elected, yes, people voted for him, but what did he do for the people? Nothing. Now you got the people who voted for him are demonstrating in the streets in, in Niamey in support of the new coup leaders. You know, you look at, uh, uh, Ibrahim Traoré of, uh, Burkina Faso. As I told you guys, he gave up his salary. So yes, we might think of it, well, the coup, it's not a good thing, whatever. But are, are, are we in his head to know what he's thinking? You see at least a sign, you know. Since when we seeing any foreign leaders giving up his salary? I mean, name me one. So France now is, uh, sort of, uh, uh, uh, because here's the thing, here's the way I look at it, the way I look at it, guys, should this move forward with military tensions. We're gonna be looking at another outcome like what took place in Syria before Russia intervened, like what took place in Libya. Look what Libya has become, even though it— that, believe it or not, they made billions of dollars in revenue in oil. And all it was about oil, because Libya's oil is considered a good, good quality, and that's what Europe uses for jet fuels, all that from Libya. Even though there were some arguments behind closed doors back then advocating for not intervening in Libya, because if you remove Gaddafi back then, you're going to destabilize. And that's exactly what happened. So, so there is the, uh, uh, even though as an analyst I think I see it differently, the case in Niger versus that of Libya, you know, and I can't compare that because geography plays a role, the, the, the, uh, the, the customs play a role, the military readiness plays a role, the support plays a role. So So the situation in Niger sort of, in my opinion, appears to be different than that of Libya, primarily due to the robust— yes, I will use the term robust— support that Niger is receiving. You know, and what does it mean? Basically, it means that there is a shift in the geopolitical dynamics of the region. Otherwise, why will there be that support that they are willing to put— the other countries willing to put their armed forces in line in defense of something they believe in, that they don't want to be exploited anymore, that time has come for Africa to stand on its feet, to prosper. So this is how I see it. You know, because, uh, uh, the West didn't see this coming. They did not. They really didn't. And I think it will be a mistake if France thinks that it's gonna flex its military muscles and just, uh, barge into Niger. Uh, that won't be a smart thing to do. That would not be a smart thing to do. That means you're gonna draw in the support of NATO. And when we say support of NATO, who are we talking about here? Because we get uranium too from that part of the world. So, so this is why it's not about just Niger here, you know. It is a much larger narrative about resource control. Original solidarity, if I may use the term. And even the, uh, the, uh, the, uh, evolving dynamics for, of international politics are being played out now on the ground, you know. That's, uh, and, and because it was an issue, it was an issue a couple months ago, way back, never made it to the surface in France, in Paris. I have family lives in France, so And I, as I said, I speak the language, so I can read the local analysis there in France issued by the Defense Ministry and so forth. So what happened a few months ago, you know, some military analysts inside France sort of predicted that it will be an upcoming crisis in Niger after what happened in Mali when France was kicked out. So, well, of course, for Niger, it will be one of the biggest losers for France if France loses Niger, which they already did anyway. So, so they consider that the French loss of, of Niger will not be economic, as they say back then in Paris, and it was. They just weren't saying the truth. Because they want to soften the blow after France being kicked out of Mali. So, so, because the loss of political standing in, uh, in, in Mali, uh, was a big blow to France, especially in favor of Russia, because it was the Wagner Group that was able to train, uh, the Malian, the Malian soldiers and all that stuff, and they helped move. They are highly trained. So, so, so when the French army back then, a few months ago, sent its sort of report to Emmanuel Macron, the president, about Niger, they ignored it. Emmanuel Macron ignored that. Why? Because he was focusing on Ukraine, following blindly behind other European like Germany. Of course, France didn't have a say. France was doing what it's being told by its master, especially when it comes down to Ukraine. This is why the Ukraine issue is not about Ukraine. We give, we give a hoot about Ukraine. I'll say it straightforward, sad to say, but it's the reality. You know, you look at now those high-ranking officials in Ukraine where their family members are living or residing. They are residing in southern France. I have family lives in France. Their kids are driving, you know, some high-end cars, snapping pictures and so forth. Where all that came from? You look at the defense minister of Ukraine, bought a house for his daughter as a gift, her wedding gift. The house was cost about $7 million. In La Côte d'Azur, which is in southern France. And if you know anything about La Côte d'Azur, the, the, uh, the, the, uh, Cannes and all that, it's very, very, very, very expensive. $7 million. Where did he get $7 million? And yet Europeans and Americans, for us, you got our, uh, our, uh, demented president, and I'll say it because I lost respect for the guy. You know, I respect people till they start to do things intentionally. You know, allocating another $15 billion for Ukraine. What the heck you doing with our money? It's not yours. Who gives you the right to just waste our money? It's not right. You don't speak for me. You don't act on my behalf. I don't want to send my money to Ukraine. I want to invest my money right here in my country. When I'm seeing the infrastructure that is crumbling before my own eyes, I go outside and I drive and I see potholes all over. Bridges are crumbling from the edge. Railroads that are over 50, 60, 80 years old. Pipelines that have been over a century. And you sign an executive order and send the tax payers money over to Ukraine. For what? I don't agree with that. I don't approve that. I never did. So why should I respect you? You know, you know my president. I won't call you my president. Forget about it. You don't deserve it. Simple as that. You call a spade a spade. I have nothing against, you know, Biden. As a human being. I have nothing against him or anybody for that matter. But when you do wrong, I call you out on it, straightforward. So this is not what we're seeing evolving in Niger, because we're gonna get involved, we, one way or another. I used to travel to Africa. I went to this country here, let me point it for you. Few years ago, right here, La Côte d'Ivoire, Ivory Coast. I want there. I also want to this country right here, Djibouti. It's on the edge, I can see it over here. So we're gonna get involved one way or another, except now the calculations are different. Because now you have more countries joining their forces. And if you look at those countries, especially if I think about Algeria— Algeria's armament is from Russia. They do have some missile technology there that I'm aware of. So now North Korea is going to be sending its weapons. We all see where this is leading, and this is why I wanted to explain to you at least briefly here the big picture, because you need to see that big picture to understand where things are headed. Basically, France is so pissed that it now does not have access to free resources. Yeah, I'll use the term free because they've been using that for the last half century, and Africans are not benefiting from it. So that era has come to an end now, and I think you're gonna see more and more countries in the ECOWAS itself saying no, we're not getting involved. So that's why Nigeria now is being targeted as the weak link, and it's Nigeria that we're gonna push. And the reason why Nigeria, uh, it's because it's oil rich. That is one of the reasons why. That is one of the reasons. So that's why you're seeing— so what you'll be looking at, guys, is that, uh, uh, the diplomatic ties, just to sum up here, because I'll give you just a brief summary here, what you'll be looking at is that the diplomatic ties between North Korea and Burkina Faso is gonna expand, okay? It's gonna— it's already— they declared— both countries declared the armament deal So you're going to be seeing the Wagner Group going back, especially to both Burkina Faso and, uh, uh, Mali. That's where they're going to be. And you're going to see reinforcements moving forward. So that's why 5 countries already. And we're not even talking about the role of China yet. China is not going to get involved militarily. China is going to get involved economically. So, and I'm keeping my eyes open to see where this is gonna, uh, be leading to. All right, let me see if you got any, uh, quick question here. I'll, I'll answer it for you guys. Let me go to the top here. And just be on a lookout for a video that I'm going to be releasing soon about the dynamics of within the aspects of, uh access to resources here, especially in the energy. All right, let me see. It's kind of take a while for anything to show up here. So, so, and remember guys, by the way, check out that first video from the Health Channel. So for you to see. Uh, let me say thank you to Lester. Thank you very much, really appreciate it for your super sticker. I, I appreciate that. And thank you all, guys. I truly appreciate it. And just a reminder, if this is your first time here, please make sure to subscribe to this channel. I really appreciate it. All right guys, I, uh, I hope you find this very informative and I look forward to seeing you next time. As always, remember, geopolitics impact your daily life in more ways than one. Till next time guys, bye-bye.