Abdourahamane Tiani, the head of the military regime in Niger, spoke on Sunday, February 12, about the possible creation of a common currency with Burkina Faso and Mali, as a “stage of exit” from “colonization”.

Nigerien general Abdourahamane Tiani said on national television that the currency is a step away from colonization, in reference to au franc CFA and to France, an ex-colonial power. According to the latter, Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso (three former French colonies now run by military regimes), grouped together in the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), “have [monetary] experts and at the appropriate time, we will decide

General Tiani said that “money is a sign of sovereignty”, and the AES states are “engaged in a process of regaining [their] total sovereignty.” General Tiani's statement comes two weeks after the withdrawal of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS, 15 countries), which they accuse of being exploited by France.