The man allegedly responsible for the coup against Niger’s democratically elected president has appointed himself the new ruler of the West African country. The head of the Presidential Guard, General Omar Tchiani, declared himself President of the National Council in a speech on national television – two days after officers from his elite unit arrested the democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum in his palace and declared him ousted.
Nothing is known about Bazoum’s whereabouts. The United Nations assumes he is at home. “He seems to be at his house and he seems to be fine,” Nicole Kouassi, head of the UN development program UNDP in Niger, told journalists in New York.
The military coup in the country, in whose capital around 100 German soldiers are stationed, is a setback in the efforts of both the EU and the USA to stabilize the region. After coups in Mali and Burkina Faso, Niger was the last of the three neighboring countries in the Sahel to be led by a democratically elected government and had established itself as a key partner in the fight against terrorism in the region. The situation in Niger is also important for the EU because it is one of the most important transit countries for African migrants on their way to Europe.
Does Tchiani have the entire army behind him?
The Nigerien armed forces announced on Thursday that they would support the rebel military’s call for an end to Bazoum’s term in office. After Tchiani’s statement, however, it is still unclear whether the general has the entire army behind him as de facto president. Experts fear that a power struggle could ensue. Tchiani referred to the military as “guarantors of national unity, territorial integrity and our nation’s interests”. He called on “Niger’s partners and friends” to trust the security forces.
The so-called National Council for the Protection of the Fatherland, which the general now heads, was founded by the putschists on Wednesday and is taking on the duties of an interim government. The regional office manager of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation for the Sahel zone, Ulf Laessing, said: “Tchiani is not a departure – on the contrary.” His appointment is likely to fuel speculation that Bazoum’s predecessor, Mahamadou Issoufou, could be behind the coup, Laessing said. Issoufou had promoted Tchiani to the post of chief of the presidential guard during his tenure.
EU suspends all budget support
The French Foreign Ministry said it would not recognize the new rulers. The EU condemned the coup in the strongest possible terms. Any violation of the constitutional order will have an impact on cooperation between the EU and Niger, said EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell on behalf of the member states. The impact also included the immediate suspension of all budget support. Just a few weeks ago, the EU promised Niger – one of the poorest countries in the world – new investments of 66 million euros in education and youth projects. They complement financial commitments of hundreds of millions of euros that have already been made in recent years.
It was not until the end of 2022 that the EU decided on a military mission in Niger to combat terrorism in the region. How the cooperation will continue is unclear. The Sahel zone is considered the center of Islamist terror in particular. Islamic State and Al Qaeda groups are active in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger.
Bundeswehr operates an air transport base in the capital
Defense Minister Boris Pistorius currently sees no acute danger for the Bundeswehr soldiers in the country. The head of the Bundeswehr air transport base in Niamey confirmed to him “that there is currently no increased threat from the putschists, neither for civilians nor for soldiers,” the SPD politician told the “Spiegel”. In talks with the Nigerien side, it will be made clear “that our forces are staying out of internal Nigerien affairs”. The putschists had warned foreign states not to intervene militarily.
The Bundeswehr operates the air transport base for the military engagement in West Africa – Niamey also plays an important role in the withdrawal from Mali. The US operates an air force base in the city of Agadez and has over 1,000 troops stationed in Niger. For the former colonial power France, too, Niger was recently an important partner in the fight against Islamist terror after the military rulers in Mali and Burkina Faso demanded the withdrawal of French troops. For France, the overthrows meant the end of years of military operation Barkhane, which was intended to stabilize the region. According to reports, France has 1,500 soldiers in Niger.
Wagner boss Prigoschin speaks up
There is concern that Niger could draw closer to Russia under military rule. The neighboring countries of Mali and Burkina Faso had also oriented themselves towards Russia and, among other things, sought partnerships with the Russian Wagner Group. The head of the private army, Yevgeny Prigozhin, described the coup in Niger on Telegram on Thursday as an ordinary struggle by the people against the former colonial rulers, who wanted to impose their lifestyle on them. Former colonialists deliberately destabilized the situation in African countries and supported “terrorists and various gang groups” there, claimed Prigozhin, who once again campaigned for the use of his Wagner fighters.
The civilian population is likely to suffer the most from the political chaos: Since the airspace in Niger was closed, aid organizations and the United Nations have been affected. According to the UN, humanitarian aid, which more than three million people in the country urgently need, will continue with restrictions. “Humanitarian aid on the ground continues and has never stopped,” said UN World Food Program country chief Jean-Noel Gentile. The country with around 26 million inhabitants was ranked 189th out of 191 on the United Nations Human Development Index. More than 40 percent of the people live in extreme poverty.
