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The world was thrown off guard as the military overthrew the government in Niger, disrupting the nation’s first peaceful administration since 1960.
The commander of the country’s presidential guard, General Abdourahmane Tchiani, announced himself as the new leader of Niger on state television on Friday (July 28th). In a statement, the official title given was “President of the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland,” while Tchiani’s reasons for the disruption were economic insecurity, border instability, and alleged corruption. President Mohamed Bazoum is currently being held captive by his own guards who initiated the coup on Wednesday morning (July 26h).
The coup has caused great alarm internationally in light of recent government upheavals in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Guinea. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the African Union condemned the coup by Tchiani and his men, which disrupted the first peaceful transfer of power in the nation since it gained independence in 1960. President Patrice Talon of Benin has flown to Niger on behalf of ECOWAS to begin mediation efforts.
Niger has been a source of scrutiny for the West, as the nation has been an ally in fighting off insurgencies from Islamic jihadist groups in the region, as well as an ally to the European Union in thwarting human trafficking from sub-Saharan Africa. Mali’s recent breaking of ties with France including expelling its soldiers from within the country, in addition to the presence of Russian mercenaries from the Wagner group, make the region more volatile.
President Bazoum remains defiant, saying that he will not resign and emphasizing that in a message posted to Twitter. “The hard-won achievements will be safeguarded. All Nigeriens who love democracy and freedom will see to it,” he wrote. Niger’s Foreign Minister Hassoumi Massoudou declared himself head of state and called on people to democratically protest the coup.
French President Emanuel Macron blasted the junta, saying: “This coup is completely illegitimate and profoundly dangerous, for Nigeriens, for Niger and for the whole region.” He called for Bazoum to be reinstated. U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, who is currently in New Zealand, said he spoke with Bazoum and “made clear that we strongly support him as the democratically elected president of the country.” Russia has also decried the coup. “We believe that the coup is unconstitutional, and we always take a principled and clear position on that,” Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in a statement.
