Niger 2023 Coup - Context
In Niger there were not only French forces, but American and European soldiers as well. It was initially unclear as to the coup leaders’ position towards these military groups. Militarily, France’s argument that it maintains a presence solely to help countries in West Africa has also largely been rejected. Since independence, France has maintained large permanent army bases in many of its former colonies, but this presence is part of a strategy for political influence.
After Mali and Burkina Faso, Niger, hitherto allied with Western countries, becomes the third country in the Sahel, undermined by attacks by groups linked to the Islamic State and Al-Qaeda, to experience a coup State since 2020. Mali and Burkina Faso notably turned to Russia after demanding the departure of French soldiers from their soil.
Africanist Vasily Filippov saw the situation around the coup in Niger as a gift for Russian leader Vladimir Putin. Moscow has its own interests in the states of the African continent, including in Niger, noted the analyst at the Institute for African Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences. France had already lost its former control over African countries. According to the analyst, the situation with the coup d'état played into the hands of the head of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin. “The French are now paralyzed, they have a catastrophic economic situation. Imagine what a catastrophe will happen if we squeeze out all 40% of the uranium that they receive from Niger from the French,” said Filippov.
With immediate effect, the Republic of Niger under the leadership of General Abdourahamane Tchiani announced the suspension of the export of uranium and gold to France on 30 July 2023. Protestors were surrounded the French Embassy in Niger calling for the end of French colonial practices repeating the slogan “Down with France!” and reaffirming their support to the coup leader, Tchiani. Wazobia Reporters, a Nigerien news website, reported on protestor proclaiming “We have uranium, diamonds, gold, oil, and we live like slaves? We don’t need the French to keep us safe."
Analysts said that uranium prices may rise in the coming weeks if the situation in Niger shows no sign of improvement. "In the short term, the military coup will lead to shortages and higher prices, but what happens next will depend on the coup's duration," Wang Guoqing, research director at Beijing Lange Steel Information Research Center, told the Global Times on 03 August 2023. The spot price of uranium rose to $56.25 per pound on July 31, from $56.15 a week earlier, according to an analysis by UxC, a market research firm for the nuclear industry.
Failures of governance serve as a justification for the military to seize power, and that belief is echoed among some members of the public. When a country is on the verge of security collapse under a democratic government – as was the case in Burkina Faso – a significant part of the public might support the military, which promised to restore security. But soldiers are not trained to manage countries and there is no guarantee that they will be better representatives of people’s interests than an elected citizen. There are those who want a fundamental change in national politics, even if that comes about through military takeover. Others think that, even if civil and democratic governance is dysfunctional, the military is not the solution.
Mohamed Bazoum was an important western ally in the fight against a spreading jihadist insurgency in the Sahel region and had also co-operated with the EU in stemming the flow of people who use Niger as a transit country on their journey towards Europe. Mutinous Nigerien military personnel announced that President Mohamed Bazoum had been removed from power and that the landlocked West African country’s borders had been closed. They also formed the National Council for the Salvation of the Homeland, which assumed full power. Niger's capital is home to the largest French air base in this part of Africa. Military units from France, Germany, Italy and the United States are also now in the country. Their numbers have not been disclosed.
The situation in Niger will be actively discussed at the Russia-Africa Summit in St. Petersburg on July 27-28, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. According to the Russian presidential spokesman, "of course, it is impossible to ignore such events on the African continent." "Naturally, this is being actively discussed on the sidelines of the summit. And, this topic will very likely be discussed in some fashion at the key events of the summit tomorrow. And today, as well," Peskov added.
Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said 27 July 2023 "We are calling on the conflicting parties to refrain from the use of force and resolve all controversies through a peaceful and constructive dialogue," the Russian diplomat said. According to Zakharova, Russia expresses the hope that "this domestic political crisis will soon be resolved in the interests of civilian peace for the sake of the fraternal Nigerien people." She added "We expect the military to release President Mohamed Bazoum as soon as possible".
Landlocked Niger is one of the poorest and most unstable countries in the world. Niger finished third from bottom on the UN Human Development Index. President Mohamed Bazoum, 63, is one of a dwindling group of pro-Western leaders in the Sahel region, where a rampaging jihadist insurgency has triggered coups against elected presidents in Mali and Burkina Faso. Bazoum, a former interior minister, was right-hand man to former president Mahamadou Issoufou, who voluntarily stepped down after two terms. Their handover in April 2021, after elections won by Bazoum in a two-round contest against former president Mahamane Ousmane, marked Niger's first peaceful transition of power since independence.
In Mali and Burkina Faso, the transitional governments that emerged from several military coups were seeking closer ties with Russia's Wagner Group, In Niger, tere were complaints about the abuse of power, corruption and impunity, above all the behavior of the former colonial power France.
The official social media account of Niger’s presidency posted: "The President of the Republic and his family are well," adding that the presidential guards (GP) had failed to secure support from the other elements of the security services in this "fit of pique". Bazoum, in a social media posting on 27 July 2023 morning, vowed to protect "hard-won" democratic gains in a country that is a pivotal ally for Western powers helping to fight an insurgency in the Sahel region. Niamey was quiet on 27 July 2023 as citizens awoke to heavy rain, closed borders and a nationwide curfew imposed by the coup instigators.
Olaf Bernau reported that "The presidency of Mahamadou Issoufou between 2011 and 2021 appears to have been particularly disastrous . According to Abari, the mining engineer, who comes from the political left, came into office with a lot of advance praise. Everyone would have expected a decisive fight against corruption. But the already blatant corruption escalated from day one. Issoufou rigorously persecuted political opponents, including former comrades-in-arms, and had unwelcome mayors removed, for example in Niamey, Bilma and Diffa."
Niger is a multiparty republic. In February 2021 Mohamed Bazoum won the presidential election with an estimated 56 percent of the vote in the second round of voting. He assumed office the following April in the first peaceful transfer of power in the country’s history, although the office stayed within the ruling party. International and domestic observers considered both rounds of the presidential election to be peaceful, free, fair, transparent, and inclusive. In 2020 legislative elections, conducted in tandem with the first round of presidential elections, the ruling party won 79 of 171 seats, with 127 seats for the ruling coalition, and opposition parties dividing the remainder. International and local observers found the legislative elections peaceful, free, fair, transparent, and inclusive.
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