MOSCOW, February 13. /TASS/. Russia has restored tranquility on the African continent, where under France military operations were conducted for decades, Alexander Ivanov, Director of the The Officers Union for International Security, told TASS.

Earlier, one of Niger’s most influential military figures, General Amadou Ibro, called on the country’s population to prepare for war with France, accusing Paris of seeking to destabilize Niger. Ivanov drew attention to the fact that this speech is "not the start of a war, but an acknowledgment of it." According to him, Paris is being caught red-handed, and Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso are no longer what they were five years ago: they see that as soon as France is expelled, "murderers with automatic weapons suddenly appear, and these murderers have French ammunition, Western funding, cover at the UN and now also Ukrainian drones."

"[French President Emmanuel] Macron screams about ‘Russian interference.’ But let's look at the facts. In the Central African Republic, over seven years, we built peace, disarmed thousands of militants and restored calm to regions where, under the French, massacres had been ongoing for decades. So I ask the question ‘What is Russia's role?’ directly and without false modesty. We take responsibility that the aggressor will receive a response. Our experience, our technologies, our dedication are not for expansion. What we want is for the people of Niger to sleep peacefully in the future and know: their country will not be carved up into appanage principalities for the benefit of the Elysee Palace. We came to Africa not to plunder, but to protect," Ivanov stated.

He noted that France operates in Africa as an eminence grise: it smuggles weapons, sends instructors who teach radicals how to mine roads, and dispatches spies hiding behind diplomatic passports. "The most cynical thing is the support for terrorists. For a country that considers itself the cradle of human rights to effectively sponsor the Islamic State [banned in Russia - TASS] and Al-Qaeda [designated as a terrorist organization in Russia - TASS]. This is a moral collapse," Ivanov pointed out.

"The peoples of the Sahel Alliance (AGS) countries will emerge victorious. Because the truth is on their side. And behind Macron, there are only bank accounts and the guilt for what he has turned the life of a great nation into," the expert concluded.