A week after the military coup in Niger, several European countries have started evacuating their citizens. The first Germans were also able to leave the West African country on board French planes.
The Bundeswehr plans to resume flight operations to the air transport base in Niamey, the capital of Niger, from next week. More than 100 German soldiers are currently stationed there. Meanwhile, Nigeria is increasing the pressure on the new rulers in the neighboring country.
In Niger, officers of the Presidential Guard arrested the democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum last Wednesday and declared him ousted. The commander of the Presidential Guard, General Abdourahamane Tiani, subsequently proclaimed himself the new ruler. Shortly after Tiani came to power, the putschists suspended the constitution and dissolved all constitutional institutions. After military coups in Mali and Burkina Faso since 2020, Niger became the last of the three neighboring countries in the Sahel to be led by a democratically elected government. Niger has also been an important partner for the West on migration issues.
736 people have already been evacuated
France had already brought 736 people to safety with three evacuation flights, the French Foreign Ministry announced in the evening. Among them were 498 French. A fourth flight is in preparation.
So far, more than 40 Germans have left the country with the evacuation flights from France. “Today there will be more flights. I thank my French counterpart Catherine Colonna from the bottom of my heart,” said Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens). The uncomplicated and pragmatic cooperation in times of crisis shows what Europe can achieve in foreign and security policy if we work together. “With the same unity and determination, we as the European Union are also supporting the international efforts to restore constitutional order in Niger,” said Baerbock. Almost 100 German civilians are in Niger.
After the end of the blocking of the airspace over the West African country, the first military transporter of the Bundeswehr should start on Monday from the Wunstorf military airfield in Lower Saxony, as the German Press Agency was told by security circles. The transport of soldiers and material is to be taken up.
Niamey central hub for German Armed Forces
The air transport base in Niamey is the central hub for the Bundeswehr in West Africa and is important for the ongoing withdrawal from neighboring Mali. The military government in Mali had demanded that UN soldiers be withdrawn by the end of the year.
If there is a way to guarantee the security of the soldiers, “then we will also try to stick to a base,” said Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD). At the same time, alternatives are being sought as to how the withdrawal from Mali could be organized via other flight routes.
Niger’s military rulers opened the land and air borders with the five neighboring countries of Mali, Burkina Faso, Algeria, Libya and Chad.
Conflict could escalate further
The conflict in Niger could escalate further. The West African community had given the putschists an ultimatum on Sunday. If President Bazoum is not reinstated within a week, Ecowas will take action, which could include violence, it said.
Today the military chiefs of the Ecowas member countries met in Nigeria’s capital Abuja. They want to spend three days discussing how to proceed. The Ecowas members Burkina Faso and Mali, who were already suspended after earlier military coups, have sided with the coup leaders in Niger. They warned Ecowas not to intervene: Any military intervention against Niger would be tantamount to a declaration of war against their countries as well.
Tiani sent a delegation to Mali and Burkina Faso, a spokesman for the new military leader said without giving further details.
Initially, however, the Ecowas group seems to be relying on economic pressure. Today, Niger’s largest electricity supplier Nigelec accused Ecowas member Nigeria of cutting off electricity supplies on Tuesday. Niger is highly dependent on imports from Nigeria: According to the French Development Agency in October 2022, 77 percent of its needs are met from the neighboring country. However, less than 20 percent of the population has access to electricity at all.
“Turning off the power could be more effective than a military operation,” said Ulf Laessing, Sahel expert from the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, the German Press Agency. A military intervention could bring Niger to the brink of civil war. The situation would then be similar to that in Sudan.
