‘Coup attempt’ in Niger is underway, according to sources and neighboring countries, after members of the Presidential Guard detained President Mohamed Bazoum inside his palace in Niamey.
The incident on Wednesday sparked a standoff with the army and drew international condemnation.
The West African bloc ECOWAS and the African Union (AU) both condemned the “attempted coup d’etat.” ECOWAS demanded that the plotters release Bazoum, while the AU demanded that the “felon” soldiers involved return to their barracks immediately.
According to the presidency’s official Twitter account, Bazoum and his family were fine, but guards were involved in an “anti-Republican demonstration” and tried “in vain” to gain the support of other security forces.
Military vehicles have surrounded the palace and the ministries nearby. According to reports, staff inside the palace were also unable to access their offices, but there was calm elsewhere in Niamey.
Bazoum appears to be unwilling to accept the plotters’ demands and relinquish power.
The presidency of Niger said in a statement that the national army was ready to attack the guards if they did not calm down.
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Meanwhile, according to Idris, talks were taking place between Bazoum’s camp and the leaders of the presidential guard.
Patrice Talon, the president of neighboring Benin, said he would travel to Niger on Wednesday to mediate after meeting with Nigeria’s president and ECOWAS leader Bola Tinubu.
The cause of the revolt is unknown, but experts believe rising living costs and perceptions of government incompetence and corruption may have prompted the guards to revolt.
Since 2020, there have been four military takeovers in neighboring Mali and Burkina Faso.
These coups were fueled in part by dissatisfaction with the authorities’ failure to quell the Sahel region’s rebel uprising.
A coup attempt was also foiled in Niger in March 2021, when a military unit attempted to seize the presidential palace just days before Bazoum, who had just been elected, was to be sworn in.
A military takeover in the former French colony could complicate Western efforts to assist countries in the region in combating the rebellion that has spread from Mali in the last decade.
Given how much money and security Western countries have invested in Niger, the incident could have ramifications.
Many see the country as one of the last bulwarks against the region’s growing insecurity.
According to Ulf Leassing, an analyst with the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, while Niger appears to be stable as a result of the influx of aid, this is always “a bit of an illusion.”
“The state is very weak, it’s very poor, and it doesn’t take much to overthrow a president in Niger,” he told Al Jazeera.
Niger is also a key ally of the European Union in its attempts to curb irregular migration from sub-Saharan Africa
International Reaction
The United Nations led the condemnation of the attempted coup and condemned any attempt to seize power through force, in remarks largely shared by the European Union, the United States, and France.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres “calls on all actors involved to exercise restraint and ensure the protection of constitutional order,” according to UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric.
The US condemned efforts to detain or undermine Niger’s democratically elected government, according to White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, and urged Bazoum’s release.
In a separate statement, the US Department of State expressed strong support for Niger’s president and stated that it was in contact with the US embassy in Niamey. The department expressed “grave concern” about the developments in Niger.
“The EU condemns any attempt to destabilize democracy and threaten the stability of Niger,” EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said in a social media post.
France also condemned any attempt at seizing power and urged French citizens in Niamey to exercise caution.
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Anne-Claire Legendre said Paris was closely monitoring the situation but “condemned attempts to seize power by force.”
France moved troops from Mali to the country last year after relations with the country’s military government deteriorated.
