PORT MORESBY: French President Emmanuel Macron described a coup that ousted Niger’s elected leader as “dangerous” for the Sahel on Friday, as Western powers scramble to preserve a key ally in the insurgent-stricken region.

“This coup is completely illegitimate and profoundly dangerous, for Nigeriens, for Niger and for the whole region,” Macron said, while also calling for the release of President Mohamed Bazoum.

Bazoum has been confined to his residence since Wednesday by his own presidential guard.

Niger’s government had been seen by many in the international community as a bulwark against militancy in a vast, arid region that is beset by security challenges.

French and UN troops were in recent years forced to withdraw from neighbouring Mali, but Paris still has 1,500 soldiers in Niger. Bazoum’s overthrow could put the future of their deployment in doubt.

Macron, speaking during a visit to Papua New Guinea, said it was imperative that the constitutional order be restored and vowed to support regional groupings like ECOWAS in mediation or sanctions against putschists.

Fight against ‘colonisers’

A Russian organisation affiliated with the Wagner mercenary group shared a message apparently from its boss Yevgeny Prigozhin, who said the events in Niger were part of the nation’s fight against “colonisers”.

The Officers Union for International Security (OUIS), considered by Washington to be a front company for Wagner in the Central African Republic, on Thursday evening shared a message attributed to Prigozhin.

Prigozhin has been out of the public eye since the mercenary group’s short-lived rebellion against Russia’s top military brass last month.

“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,” the message said.

The message noted “former colonisers are trying to keep the people of African countries in check” and “fill these countries with terrorists and various gangs, creating a colossal security crisis”.

“In order to maintain their actual slave system in the territories of these states, they deploy various foreign missions, which number tens of thousands of soldiers,” the statement attributed to Prigozhin said.

It added that “these tens of thousands of soldiers are not capable of protecting the population of sovereign states. The population is suffering”.

Wagner has for years been a major player in the security sphere in Africa, but its overseas operations have been called into question by its leader’s failed revolt.

Prigozhin hailed the “effectiveness” of the Wagner force, saying a thousand of its fighters “are able to restore order and destroy terrorists, preventing them from harming the civilian population”.

The alleged statements from Prigozhin came as Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted African leaders for a Russia-Africa summit in his native Saint Petersburg.

Published in Dawn, July 29th, 2023