After the coup in Niger, the pressure on the new military rulers increased. The West African community of states Ecowas threatened the putschists with severe sanctions and violence.
If the detained President Mohamed Bazoum is not released and reinstated within a week, Ecowas will take action that could include the use of force, the international community said last night.
On Wednesday, officers from General Omar Tchiani’s elite unit arrested the democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum and declared him ousted. Tchiani proclaimed himself the new ruler on Friday. Shortly after Tchiani took power as de facto president, the putschists suspended the West African country’s constitution and dissolved all constitutional institutions.
air and land borders
During an emergency meeting in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, Ecowas called for the full restoration of constitutional order and threatened legal prosecution of the military junta. Trade and financial transactions between Ecowas member states and Niger would be suspended, it said, air and land borders closed.
Ecowas also called on the central banks of its member states to freeze the assets of Nigerien state and semi-state companies and the military involved in the coup. Also, all financial support and transactions with Nigerien financial institutions would be suspended. Ecowas will immediately appoint a special representative and send him to Niger to convey the demands to the military junta.
International pressure
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken welcomed Ecowas’ move. Blinken wrote on Twitter that night that he supports the alliance’s heads of state and government in their defense of the constitutional order in Niger. The legitimate and democratically elected government must be reinstated immediately.
Great Britain also expressed its support for Ecowas in a statement. The UK will suspend its long-term development assistance to Niger, it said. Secretary of State for Development Andrew Mitchell said critical humanitarian aid would continue to be provided to the people of the country.
During the Ecowas summit, thousands of people demonstrated in Niger’s capital Niamey for the new military rulers. Many people also waved Russian flags. According to French media reports, a protest in front of the French embassy in Niamey turned violent.
Travel warnings apply
The US embassy in Niamey advised US citizens in the Nigerien capital to get to safety on site, not to move around the city unnecessarily and, above all, to avoid the area around the presidential palace. They should also avoid protests.
The Federal Foreign Office in Berlin also warns in its travel and safety instructions for Niger to be particularly careful in Niamey. Germans in the country should also register in the crisis prevention list of the Federal Foreign Office. This list is intended to help people to be informed quickly and involved in measures in the event of a crisis or disaster.
Western states are also putting pressure on Niger. The former colonial power France suspended its budget and development aid for the West African country. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell announced that the EU would immediately end its budget support for Niger and suspend all security cooperation measures indefinitely.
Marked by terror
So far, Niger has been an important partner for the USA and the EU in the anti-terror fight in the Sahel region, which stretches from Senegal in the west to Djibouti in the east. It has been suffering from a steadily deteriorating security situation for years. Many militias, some of whom have sworn allegiance to the Islamic State (IS) or the Al Qaeda terrorist network, regularly carry out attacks.
Niger is also one of the main transit countries for African migrants heading for Europe. Since taking office in April 2021, Bazoum has been a key EU ally. The EU has been cooperating with Niger since 2015, primarily to block the critical migration route from the Nigerien desert city of Agadez to Libya.
