NIAMEY: Niger military officers on Friday declared General Abdourahamane Tchiani as the new head of state, saying they had suspended the constitution and dissolved all former institutions after overthrowing president Mohamed Bazoum.

Gen Tchiani, who was the head of the presidential guard that detained Bazoum in his palace, defended the coup saying that soldiers had to act to protect national security.

The general appeared on state television on Friday, with a banner on the screen that described him as the president of a newly formed military council, the National Council for Safeguarding the Homeland (CNSP).

“The President of the CNSP is the head of state. He represents the state of Niger in international relations,” an officer said, reading out a statement.

EU threatens to halt aid; regional bloc to hold emergency summit tomorrow

African countries and Western powers have reacted with alarm to the events in Niger, insisting that constitutional order be restored.

Niger borders three countries — Mali, Burkina Faso and Chad — that have also experienced military coups in the recent years. Before the uprising this week, it was seen as the West’s most stable and solid partner in the region.

Tchiani reiterated that soldiers had seized power due to the worsening security. He criticised the lack of “genuine collaboration” with military governments in Mali and Burkina Faso in the fight against insurgencies.

“The harsh reality of insecurity in Niger, experienced by our defence forces and hardworking populations, with its toll of deaths, displacement, humiliation, and frustration, reminds us on a daily basis of this stark reality.”

International efforts

On Sunday, West Africa’s main regional bloc the Economic Comm­unity of West African States (ECOWAS) will hold an emergency summit on Niger in capital Abuja.

“Any breakdown in the constitutional order will have consequences for cooperation between the EU and Niger, including the immediate suspension of all budgetary support,” the EU’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, said in a statement.

US Vice President Kamala Harris said cooperation with Niger’s government was contingent on its “continued commitment to democratic standards”.

French President Emmanuel Macron said he was prepared to back sanctions against the perpetrators of the “dangerous” coup, after his foreign minister said the power grab did not appear to be definitive.

“France does not recognise the authorities that emerged from the putsch led by General Tchiani,” the country’s foreign ministry announced after Gen Tchiani’s TV appearance.

ECOWAS has dem­anded Bazoum’s “immediate rele­ase”, saying he “remains the legitimate and legal President of Niger”.

Pro-coup demonstrations

The landlocked state is one of the world’s poorest. Since gaining independence in 1960, it has seen four coups as well as numerous other attempts including two previously against Bazoum.

The 63-year-old is one of a dwindling group of elected presidents and pro-Western leaders in the Sahel, where an insurgency has triggered coups in Mali and Burkina Faso. Their juntas have forced out French troops, and in Mali the ruling military has woven a close alliance with Russia.

“What happened in Niger is nothing more than the struggle of the people of Niger against colonisers, who tried to impose their own rules of life,” Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin appeared to say Thursday night in a message shared by a Russian body linked to the mercenary group.

The coup plotters had urged “the population to remain calm”, after young men ransacked Bazoum’s PNDS party headquarters, setting fire to vehicles.

They had split off from the 1,000 people who had demonstrated in the capital. “We want the same thing as in Mali and Burkina Faso,” shouted 19-year-old student Alassane Alhousseini.

Published in Dawn, July 29th, 2023