After days of uncertainty in Niger, the commander of the country’s presidential guard claimed the leadership of Niger, a West African country. A military coup ousted the elected government of Niger led by democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum on July 29. 2023. The mutinous soldiers cited the precarious security situation as the reason for capturing and deposing the elected president of Niger.
While the presidential palace was encircled by the soldiers on July 27, and president was taken hostage, surprisingly the presidential guards watched outside his palace without any resistance. The commander of the country’s presidential guard claimed the leadership of Niger. Gen. Abdourahmane Tchiani, who goes by the first name, Omar, said on state television on July 29, “We have decided to intervene and seize our responsibilities” in asserting power over the country.
President Bazoum was the first elected leader to succeed another in Niger since independence in 1960. Now his captors have suspended the country’s constitution and installed Gen Abdourahmane Tchiani as head of state. Niger has been facing insurgency and fight between various Muslim groups. Niger falls in Sahel region of Africa. The Sahel region is a turbulent and unstable part of the world and democracy is currently in retreat there. Violent Islamist groups have gained ground by controlling territory and conducting attacks in the tri-border region between Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso.
International reaction
The observers across the world condemned the ouster of an elected government in Niger by military supported rebels.
France, the former colonial power, condemned the military takeover strongly and sternly. A statement by the French foreign ministry said President Bazoum was the country’s sole leader, adding that France “does not recognise the authorities resulting from the putsch led by Gen Tchiani”. It added that France “reaffirmed in the strongest terms the clear demands of the international community calling for the immediate restoration of constitutional order and democratically-elected civilian government in Niger”. The US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, has called for the president’s immediate release, while the African Union, the West African regional bloc Ecowas, the EU and the UN have all spoken out against the coup.
The only voice in favour has been that of the leader of Russia’s Wagner mercenary group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, who has reportedly described it as a triumph. “What happened in Niger is nothing other than the struggle of the people of Niger with their colonizers.” However, his comments have not been independently verified.
Causes
Niger is facing insurgency and scuffle of various Islamist rebels like other countries in Sahel region of Africa. This is one of the main reasons of Niger’s elected government overflow as the military which overthrew the elected president cited insecurity as the reason for their uncon
Before the coup, President Bazoum had complained of “disinformation campaigns” by Russian mercenaries of Wagner against his government. Some observers feel that Wagner, which has exploited mineral resources in other African countries to fund its operations, would like to do the same in Niger. Nevertheless, the US has said there is no indication that the Wagner force was involved in the overthrow of President Bazoum, but added that the situation continues to be quite fluid.
Adding to the instability in the region, climate change is causing desertification to spread southwards from the Sahara into the Sahel. Experts say temperatures in the Sahel are rising faster than anywhere else in the world. If political stability is not restored, Niger may fall further deep into crisis.
Implications
President Bazoum’s government has been a partner to European countries trying to stop the flow of migrants across the Mediterranean Sea, agreeing to take back hundreds of migrants from detention centres in Libya. He has also cracked down on human traffickers in had been a key transit point between other countries in West Africa and those further north. That may now be called into question.
There are concerns that Niger’s new leadership could move away from its Western allies and closer to Russia. If it does, it would follow in the footsteps of Burkina Faso and Mali, which have both pivoted towards Moscow since their own military coups.
As the military takeovers in neighbouring countries have not made much difference, it is doubtful if a military junta would have greater success in tackling the insurgents in Niger than the recently ousted government.
What Next?
Defence heads from West Africa’s regional political and security bloc have said a military intervention in junta-ruled Niger was “the last resort”, as European countries continued to evacuate foreign nationals after last week’s coup against its democratically elected president. The 15-nation regional bloc Ecowas – the Economic Community of West African States – has threatened to use force to put down the coup in Niger after giving an ultimatum to those behind it to restore Mohamed Bazoum as president and reinstate the constitution and democratic institutions.
The UN special envoy for West Africa and the Sahel, Leonardo Santos Simão, told a virtual briefing late on Tuesday that “different member states are preparing themselves to use force if necessary”.
But Christopher Musa, Nigeria’s chief of staff has said the threat of military intervention was serious and “We are ready, and as soon as we receive the order to intervene, we will do so.” The M62 Movement, a local activist group that supports the coup, called for Niamey residents to “mobilise” and block the airport until foreign military forces left the country.
Russia called for “urgent national dialogue” in Niger and said threats of intervention were unhelpful- “It’s very important to prevent a further deterioration of the situation in the country.”
Niger, an impoverished country despite being one of the world’s largest sources of uranium – is seen by the US and European allies as a key base in the struggle against armed jihadist groups in the Sahel, with foreign forces based there. They would like to have an elected and stable government in Niger.