On Friday, putschists in Niger designated a general from the country’s armed forces as the new leader and warned that any foreign military intervention would lead to pandemonium. Niger has been rocked by a wave of Islamist violence.
The head of the Presidential Guard since 2011 and self-proclaimed “president of the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland” General Abdourahamane Tchiani made an appearance on state television.
The revolution was justified as necessary due to “the degradation of the security situation” caused by Islamist violence, according to the general, who is in his 50s and had previously avoided the spotlight.
He questioned “the sense and scope of a security approach to the fight against terrorism which excludes any real collaboration with Burkina Faso and Mali,” two neighboring countries that suffer similar dangers.
The putschists have warned of “the consequences that will flow from any foreign military intervention,” despite receiving widespread worldwide condemnation for seizing power from a democratically elected president.
France, the former colonial power, has been demanding President Mohamed Bazoum’s release since he was arrested on the third day of his detention, calling him the “sole president” and claiming that France “does not recognise” the putschists.
Kenyan President William Ruto has described the army takeover as “a serious setback for Africa,” adding to the growing body of opinion that the coup represents.
‘The aspirations of the people of Niger for constitutional democracy were undermined by an unconstitutional change of administration,’ he said in a video message.
Nigerian President Bola Tinubu has called for a summit of West African leaders to discuss the coup on Sunday in the Nigerian capital of Abuja.
Tinubu, who is also the chairman of the Economic Community of West African States, said in a statement, “ECOWAS and the international community would do everything to defend democracy and ensure democratic governance continues to take firm root in the region.”
A “serious attack on stability and democracy” in Niamey prompted the European Union to threaten to halt funds to the city.
Since Wednesday morning, Bazoum and his family have been locked inside their palace residence within the Presidential Guard’s military barracks.
He is reportedly healthy and has made phone calls to other world leaders.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) expressed concern about the state of human rights.
Human Rights Watch has called on the military to “promptly provide a specific timeline for the return to democratic civilian rule and uphold the right of all Nigeriens to elect their leaders.”
By Thursday, the coup’s Guard leaders had secured widespread backing from the armed forces.
In order to “avoid a deadly confrontation,” the head of the armed forces, General Abdou Sidikou Issa, threw his support behind the putsch.
Bazoum has fought to maintain his position as the latest target of a coup in Africa’s unsettling Sahel, despite widespread condemnation from African and international organizations, allies Germany and the United States, and France.
Catherine Colonna, the French foreign minister, looked optimistic about the president’s future.
If I mention a coup attempt, it’s because we don’t accept outcomes as final, she explained. In other words, “there is still a way out if those responsible listen to the international community.”
She also said that France, which currently has 1,500 troops in Niger, will back sanctions.
This poor, landlocked country has it rough. There have been four coups and countless additional attempts since independence in 1960, including two against Bazoum.
After coups in Mali and Burkina Faso were precipitated by a jihadist insurgency, the 63-year-old is one of the few remaining elected presidents and pro-Western leaders in the Sahel.
In both countries, ruling military juntas have expelled French soldiers and formed close alliances with Russia.
“What happened in Niger is nothing more than the struggle of the people of Niger against colonisers, who tried to impose their own rules of life,” Wagner head Yevgeny Prigozhin said Thursday night in a message released by a Russian entity connected to the mercenary company.
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