Report by Prashasti Kulkarni
Recently, the country of Niger, located in West Africa, witnessed a military coup (when a military official or another government member takes over the ruling party in a sudden and usually illegal way).
The coup started on July 19th when Mohamed Bazoum, the democratically elected president of Niger since the 2020-21 elections, was seized and put under house arrest by the military junta. The military junta is the group which plotted the coup, including members of the armed forces as well as the presidential guard, led by General Abdourahmane Tchiani (originally the head of the presidential guard since 2011).
Soon, news of this got out and international outrage arose. The Economic Community of West African States, or ECOWAS (made of 15 nations) made a decision to stop funding money to Niger and declared that they would intervene if the junta did not restore President Bazoum within one week.
France and the United States, among others, also tried to urge the junta to back down. However, neighboring countries Mali and Burkina Faso, who had recently witnessed coups of their own, were among the few that supported the junta in Niger.
On July 28th, Tchiani announced, on state television, that he was to be the president of the National Council in Niger. The junta also said that they have suspended Niger’s current constitution and dissolved all former institutions.
Since then, the European Union has reportedly joined ECOWAS in cutting off financial ties from Niger.
ECOWAS, African Union (AU) and the United Nations have tried to resolve this issue, by setting up meetings and even trying to reach Niger. However, they were unable to enter the country and have till now not been able to persuade the junta to step down.
Why did the coup take place?
The military junta in Niger claimed that the reason they overthrew the ruling president was that apparently, the country’s economic system was failing and was leading to a “gradual and inevitable demise” of their Nation, resulting in rising insecurity.
What is happening now?
Currently, ECOWAS, the African Union, and the United Nations are attempting to take down the junta. Military bases from America, France, Germany and Italy have been stationed around Niger and ECOWAS is reportedly planning an attack.
On the other hand, Tchiani has rarely appeared in the media since his announcement. However, the junta has reportedly formed tight alliances with Mali, Burkina Faso and Guinea and has tightened security in Naimey, the capital of Niger.
The current situation of President Bazoum also remains uncertain.
Other Coups in the Region
There have been 7 coups in the West African region since gaining independence from France in 1960, 3 of which were successful. The ECOWAS is also attempting to restore original democracies in the 3 countries but no immediate effect has been witnessed.