NIAMEY: Niger’s armed forces chief on Thursday declared his support for troops who said they had overthrown the government, despite a defiant stand by the country’s elected president and an outcry from the world community.

The latest target of a coup in the deeply troubled Sahel, President Mohamed Bazoum was confined at his residence on Wednesday by members of his presidential guard.

Hours later, their leaders, calling themselves the Defence and Security Forces (FDS), declared they had “decided to put an end to the regime,” and all institutions were being suspended, the borders closed and a night-time curfew imposed.

Armed forces chief General Abdou Sidikou Issa on Thursday swung his weight behind the putschists.

UN chief calls coup part of ‘disturbing trend’ in Sahel

“The military command… has decided to subscribe to the declaration made by the Defence and Security Forces… in order to avoid a deadly confrontation between the various forces,” he said in a statement.

Earlier, Bazoum defiantly stood his ground as condemnation of the putsch swelled from African and international organisations and allies France and the United States.

“The hard-won (democratic) gains will be safeguarded,” Bazoum said on Twitter, which is being rebranded as X.

“All Nigeriens who love democracy and freedom would want this.” Foreign Minister Hassoumi Massoudou said Niger’s “legal and legitimate power” was the one exercised by its elected president.

There had been a “coup bid” but “the whole of the army was not involved,” he told France24 television.

“We ask all the fractious soldiers to return to their ranks,” he said.

“Everything can be achieved through dialogue but the institutions of the republic must function.”

‘Disturbing trends’

“We are seeing a disturbing trend,” UN Secretary-general Antonio Guterres told the media on Thursday.

“Successive unconstitutional changes of government are having terrible effects on the development and lives of civilian populations.” Guterres said instability is “particularly glaring in countries already affected by conflict, violent extremism and terrorism.”

Niger is the third country undermined by upheaval from groups linked to the Islamic State group and Al Qaeda to experience a coup since 2020, following Burkina Faso and Mali.

“I am indeed extremely worried,” said Guterres, adding that the unrest in Niger “only benefits the terrorist groups” that are “becoming more and more dangerous.”

“If you look at the region, you have the dramatic terrorist increase of activity in Mali, in Burkina Faso, in Niger and coming closer and closer to the countries of the coasts,” Guterres said, adding that military regimes are gaining control even amid “a fragile transition in Chad and a horrible situation in Sudan.”

Guterres called on renegade troops to release Niger President Mohamed Bazoum “immediately and unconditionally,” condemning the assault on his pro-Western democratically elected government.

Published in Dawn, July 28th, 2023