Niger 2023 Coup - Background
Members of the Presidential Guard detained President Bazoum inside his palace in the capital, Niamey, early on 26 July 2023. In a statement broadcasted later on national television, Colonel-Major Amadou Abdramane, spokesperson for a group calling itself the National Council for the Safeguarding of the Country, said that “the defence and security forces … have decided to put an end to the regime you are familiar with”. He added “This follows the continuous deterioration of the security situation, the bad social and economic management”. The soldier said the country’s borders have been closed, and a nationwide curfew was in place. All institutions of the country were also suspended, Abdramane added. He was seated and flanked by nine other officers wearing fatigues as he read out his statement.
Niger's army command on 27 July 2023 declared its support for a coup instigated the previous day by soldiers of the presidential guard, saying its priority was to avoid destabilising the country.
"The Military Command of the Niger Armed Forces composed of the Chief of Staff of the Armies and the Chiefs of Staff of the Armies, following a meeting held on July 26, 2023 and motivated, on the one hand, out of a concern to preserve the physical integrity of the President of the Republic and his family, to avoid a deadly confrontation between the various Forces which, beyond the latter, could cause a bloodbath and tarnish the safety of the population and on the other hand, for the sake of preserving cohesion within the Defense and Security Forces, have decided to subscribe to the declaration of the Defense and Security Forces.
"Any external military intervention, from whatever source, would risk having disastrous and uncontrollable consequences for our populations and chaos for our country.
"The General Staff also recalls that our country is still plagued by the insecurity imposed by the Terrorist Armed Groups and other Organized Crime Groups. Consequently, he invites all the FDS to remain focused on their missions and to maintain their well-known combativeness for the pursuit of the fight against terrorism and organized crime, for the ultimate objective which is the well-being of our populations."
The soldiers said in a late-night televised address that Bazoum had been stripped of power and the republic's institutions had been suspended, marking the seventh coup in West and Central Africa since 2020. They earlier cut off the presidential palace in the capital Niamey with the president inside.
As reported by the Jeune Afrique portal, the uprising is allegedly caused by Bazum's intention to remove General Omar Tchiani, commander of the presidential guard, from his post. Al Arabiya TV channel, citing its own sources, reported that the president rejected the rebels' demand to sign a letter of resignation.
General Omar Tchiani, commander of the presidential guards, had been pinpointed by many local reports as the man behind the coup. While Tchiani was not present on TV, he is widely seen as being hugely influential behind the scenes in the events. Very little is known about the general, who is reportedly also named Abdourahmane. Tchiani is from Niger’s western region of Tillaberi, a main recruitment area for the army. He had headed the presidential guards since 2015 and was a close ally of former President Mahamadou Issoufou – the politician who led the country until 2021. Ironically, he led the unit that blocked an attempted coup in the country in March 2021, when a military unit tried to seize the presidential palace days before Bazoum who had just been elected, was due to be sworn in.
The motivations behind Tchiani spearheading the coup remain unclear but there were rumours that the deposed president wanted to dismiss him only a few days ago, Paul Melly, Niger expert at the London-based think tank Chatham House, told Al Jazeera. Another possible reason, Melly noted, is that Bazoum wanted “to mark himself out as his own man” from Issoufou’s presidency by changing the composition of the presidential guards, including replacing Tchiani.
It was unclear how much support the coup leaders have from the rest of the security forces, but support for Bazoum among the population and political parties appeared strong. In a statement, a group of Nigerien political groups said the situation was “suicidal and anti-republican madness”. It said “Our country, faced with insecurity, terrorism and the challenges of underdevelopment, cannot afford to be distracted”.
Bazoum was elected president of Niger in 2021, taking the helm of a country mired in poverty and burdened by a history of chronic instability. His election was Niger’s first democratic transition of power following four military coups since the country gained independence from France in 1960. A military unit tried to seize the presidential palace in March 2021 days before Bazoum was due to be sworn in, but the attempted coup was thwarted.
A military takeover in Niger could further complicate Western efforts to help countries in the Sahel region fight a jihadist insurgency that has spread from Mali over the past decade. Niger has become a pivotal ally for Western powers seeking to help fight the insurgency but facing growing acrimony from the new juntas in charge in Mali and Burkina Faso. It is also a key European Union ally in the fight against irregular migration from sub-Saharan Africa. The United States says it has spent around $500 million since 2012 to help Niger boost its security. Germany announced in April that it would take part in a three-year European military mission aimed at improving the country's military.
The African Union and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) on 26 July 2023 condemned an “attempted coup d'état" in Niger and called for President Mohamed Bazoum to be liberated amid reports that members of the presidential guard were holding him inside his palace. In a statement posted on social media, Chairman Moussa Faki Mahamat of the African Union Commission expressed his strong condemnation in reaction to reports that members of Niger's presidential guard had detained President Mohamed Bazoum inside the palace. "Informed of an attempt by certain members of the military to undermine the stability of democratic and republican institutions in Niger, which is tantamount to an attempted coup d'état, [Faki] strongly condemns such actions by members of the military," he said, adding that they amount to a “total betrayal” of duty.
ECOWAS and its member countries are monitoring the situation in Niger and will do everything within their power to protect its democracy, Chairman Bola Tinubu said in a message posted on the X social network formerly known as Twitter. "The ECOWAS leadership will not accept any action that impedes the smooth functioning of legitimate authority in Niger or any part of West Africa," said Tinubu, who is also Nigeria’s president.
The president of neighbouring Benin, Patrice Talon, said he was on his way to Niger to assess the situation after meeting with ECOWAS chairman Tinubu. "All means will be used, if necessary, to restore constitutional order in Niger, but the ideal would be for everything to be done in peace and harmony," Talon told reporters in Abuja.
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borell said he was "very concerned about current events in Niamey", adding Brussels' condemnation of any "attempts to destabilise the democracy and threaten the stability of Niger".
A statement from France’s foreign ministry said Paris “strongly condemns any attempt to seize power by force” in Niger, adding that France is "concerned" and is "closely following the development of the situation".
UN chief Antonio Guterres also condemned "any effort to seize power by force". A UN spokesman said that Guterres later spoke with Bazoum and expressed "his full support and solidarity".
The White House issued a statement calling for Bazoum’s release. "The United States is deeply concerned about today's developments in Niger," the White House said. "We specifically urge elements of the presidential guard to release President Bazoum from detention and refrain from violence."
At Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning’s Regular Press Conference on July 27, 2023, she stated "We are closely following the development of the situation in Niger, and have noted the statements by the African Union and the Economic Community of West African States on this. China calls on relevant parties in Niger to act in the fundamental interest of the country and its people, solve differences peacefully through dialogue, restore order at an early date, and safeguard the overall peace, stability and development of the nation."
Al Jazeera’s Ahmed Idris, who has reported extensively on Niger, says the coup plotters, like other soldiers who grabbed power in similar circumstances across the region in recent years, will seek to use President Bazoum as a “bargaining chip” in any future negotiations. “Bazoum is still being held by the coup organisers and they want to use him as a bargaining chip following the script of coup plotters in Mali, Burkina Faso and Guinea,” Idris said. “For them it’s important to have Bazoum in their custody; so whatever foreign intervention will happen will have to be on their own terms.”
Idris noted that there were fears the situation could escalate. “Yesterday we saw supporters of the president try to march to the presidential palace – in their words to “free” the president from the clutches of the coup plotters – but they were dispersed after gunshots were fired into the air,” he said. “Today we saw both sides calling on supporters to be on the streets.”
The putschists accused France, whose 1,500 soldiers are in Niger, of violating border closures by landing a military plane at Niamey international airport. They called " once and for all for strict compliance with the provisions " taken by the junta.
France "does not recognize the authorities" from the putsch led by General Abdourahamane Tchiani and considers Mohamed Bazoum, "democratically elected", as "the only president of the Republic of Niger", said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. "We reiterate in the strongest terms the clear demands of the international community calling for the restoration without delay of constitutional order and democratically elected civil power in Niger ", continues the Quai d'Orsay in a press release, a few hours later. that General Tchiani read a press release on public television presenting him as " President of the National Council for the Safeguarding of the Fatherland ".
"This coup d'etat is perfectly illegitimate and deeply dangerous for Nigeriens, for Niger, and for the whole region", noted the French president during a press conference alongside Papua New Guinean Prime Minister James Marape. "This is why we are calling for the release of President Bazoum and the restoration of constitutional order."
Michael Shurkin, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, told VOA, "President Bazoum has been one of the most effective leaders in the area, if not the most effective leader. He's somebody who by many standards is doing all the right things in terms of trying to deal with the country's vast problems and working effectively with Niger's many Western security partners, including France in the United States."
He said, "A coup removes from the region a democratically elected and effective civilian official, replacing it with, first of all, a necessary period of uncertainty as the Nigeriens have to figure out what to do and make all the next steps. … Also, it's a huge blow to the West, which has really been turning to [Niger] to presume that sort of like it's its last effort to try to shape events in the Sahel as the Sahel otherwise has been swirling down the drain."
West African leaders on 30 July 2023 gave the military junta in Niger one week to cede power, warning they did not rule out the "use of force", and imposed immediate financial sanctions. The 15-nation Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) demanded the "immediate release and reinstatement" of elected President Mohamed Bazoum, who has been held by the military. "In the event the authorities' demands are not met within one week (ECOWAS will) take all measures necessary to restore constitutional order in the Republic of Niger. Such measures may include the use of force. For this effect, the chiefs of defence staff of ECOWAS are to meet immediately," the bloc said in a statement after its summit in Abuja, Nigeria,
ECOWAS announced the "suspension of all commercial and financial transactions between ECOWAS member states and Niger", which is part of the bloc, as well as halting energy transactions. It said it was freezing Niger's assets in ECOWAS central and commercial banks and imposing a "travel ban and asset freeze for the military officials involved in the coup attempt". "The same applies to their family members and the civilians who accept to participate in any institutions or government established by these military officials," said the statement, which was read out at the end of the crisis meeting by Nigerian president and ECOWAS chairman Bola Tinubu.
In 2022, ECOWAS leaders agreed to create a regional security force to intervene against jihadists and prevent military coups. Details on how that force would work and its funding were still unclear, with ECOWAS defence ministers expected to make decisions later this year.
In Niger – as in Burkina Faso and Mali – protesters took to the streets to show their support for the military coup. The motivations of the protesters are diverse. We know that in Niamey [Niger’s capital city] there is significant opposition to Bazoum, and probably even more against his party, the Nigerien Party for Democracy and Socialism (PNDS), which has been in power for 12 years. Some have joined protests to show their opposition, rather than out of support for the idea of a military coup. Others are probably genuinely convinced that a military takeover is beneficial for the country. Other Nigeriens have protested in support of the president, but were quickly dispersed by security forces.
On 06 August 2023, the junta organized large shows of support in Niamey in the run-up to the ECOWAS deadline expiration, with military officials greeting the crowds in a venue draped in Russian flags and decorated with portraits of the generals. The junta said it was closing Niger's airspace "for all aircraft until further notice", as a council of coup generals said it had seen signs of "pre-deployment in preparation for intervention" by two Central African countries it did not name.
Niger's junta ignored an ultimatum by the West African bloc for the reinstating of ousted President Mohamed Bazoum. ECOWAS defense chiefs had agreed on a possible military action plan if Bazoum was not released and reinstated. But they said any operational decisions would be taken by heads of states.
The crisis in Niger – Nigeria’s northern neighbor facing the same kind of issues (radicalism, desertification, climate change) – provides an opportunity for Nigeria to bolster its influence in the region and become a vital player in resolving regional problems, capitalizing on the decline of France’s clout. And it’s far from certain that Nigeria will choose to play this game on the same side as France. Nigeria’s new president, Bola Tinubu, although born in the country’s south, is Muslim and enjoys solid support in the north.
In ECOWAS' largest economic power, Nigeria, there was opposition to possible military intervention following the coup that ousted Niger's elected President. Nigeria currently faced high inflation and an ongoing fight against Islamic terrorism. Critics say the president should look for diplomatic ways to mitigate the problem taking place in Niger and not go for military intervention. Nigeria cannot afford that right now, The Senate met with President Bola Tinubu to work out ways of resolving the impasse in Niger Republic. The Red Chamber decided that political and diplomatic options would serve all parties better in view of the age-long relationship between Abuja and Niamey. The Senate position was shared by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governors Forum, Jama’atu Nasri-Islam (JNI) and the Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG).
The Senators, according to Senate President Godswill Akpabio, resolved as follows: “The Senate recognises the fact that President Tinubu, by virtue of his correspondence had not asked for the approval of the parliament or the approval of this Senate to go to war as being erroneously suggested in some quarters. Rather, Mr President, as the Commander-in-Chief, had expressed a wish to respectively solicit the support of the National Assembly in the successful implementation of ECOWAS resolutions as outlined in the said communication. The Senate calls on the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as the Chairman of ECOWAS to further encourage other leaders of ECOWAS to strengthen the political and diplomatic options and other means with a view to resolving the political impasse in Niger Republic.
The Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG) said military intervention in Niger “must be an absolutely last option for Nigeria, given our own present domestic fragility.” It described the unfolding event in Niger as a “sinister international power game” with Western powers on one hand, Russia and China on another hand, and some other African countries playing behind the scene.
The coup plotters on 08 August 2023 named former economy minister Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine as the country's new prime minister. As soon as he came to power, former president Mamadou Tandja appointed Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine cabinet director in 2001, then finance minister in 2002, to turn around a chaotic economic and financial situation. This was a situation inherited from the military who came to power after the assassination in 1999 of General and President Ibrahim Baré Maïnassara, in a country whose history is punctuated by seizures of power by force. Zeine, an economist by training, was also resident representative of the African Development Bank (AfDB) in Chad, Côte d'Ivoire and Gabon. Zeine was Finance Minister until Mamadou Tandja was overthrown in a coup d'état in 2010 by Major Salou Djibo.
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