General Chani's Failure to Bring Along Military Top Brass in His Strategy

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General Chani claimed that Mr. Bisme approached jihadists who are linked to al-Qaeda in Islamic State and have been wreaking havoc across both Niger and much of Mali and Burkina Faso for almost a decade. The most plausible explanation for the push is a lust for personal power among the soldiers, perhaps some discord among political bigwigs. General Chinese was reportedly at least in line to be sacked by President Bisme. And that may have been a precipitating factor in moving against him.

Following years of military takeovers in the region, Niger is the West’s last solid ally in the Sahel. But with this coup, and growing alignment with Russia, these relations are in jeopardy. Why is a policy to decongest London proving such a politically divisive issue (10:49)? And, a deep dive into a Canadian lake shows that humanity may be entering a new epoch (17:01).

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