Hit in Niger, earthquake with unpredictable consequences in the Sahel. After the recent collapse of Mali, whipped by two coups d'état in 2020 and 2021, and Burkina Faso, which experienced military riots until last year, instability was entrusted on Wednesday night to neighboring Niger. A group of soldiers, gathered in a platform called the National Council for the Protection of the Homeland (CLSP), appeared on television hours after President Mohamed Bazoum was detained in his palace in Niamey.
Niger's army command declared support for the coup and said its priority was to avoid destabilizing the country. The army had "to preserve the physical integrity" of the president and his family and avoid "a deadly confrontation... That could create a bloodbath and affect the security of the population", he declared in a statement signed by the chief of the General Staff of the army.
While it remains to be seen whether the uprising will succeed (US Secretary of State Antony Blinken conveyed to Bazoum his “unwavering support”), the geopolitical significance of what has happened is not peripheral, it is central: Niger is the last bastion close to France and the United States in a region besieged for a decade by jihadist violence - both from the Islamic State and Al-Qaeda - and the growing presence of the Group's Russian mercenaries Wagner.
Niger is also key for Spain and southern Europe: some of the main migration routes pass through its territory and the Government of Niamey had cooperated firmly until now to try to stop the flow. From France, whose soldiers have been expelled from Mali and Burkina Faso in the last year, they followed with concern yesterday events that endanger the fragile balance of Western forces in the area.
After the new governments of Bamako and Ouagadougou turned their backs on the ex-metropolis, amid widespread anti-French sentiment among the population, France had deployed the bulk of its anti-jihadist fighting apparatus in Niger. Washington also has a strong military presence in the country, with a drone base in the north.
The military insurrection followed the usual steps of military revolts in West Africa. Hours after Presidential Guard soldiers arrested President Bazoum and his wife at their residence, the confirmation came in a statement read on national television. Around midnight on Wednesday, a dozen soldiers appeared on the screen to announce the suspension of the Constitution, the closing of the borders and the imposition of a curfew. Colonel Amadou Abdramane became spokesman. "We, the defense and security forces, have decided to put an end to the regime you know (...). It is the consequence of the continued deterioration of the security situation and poor economic and social management". Although he did not appear in the picture with the other revolting soldiers, the leader of the mutiny is believed to be General Omar Tchiani, head of the Presidential Guard and whose confrontation with Bazoum had escalated in recent weeks. In an attempt to resist the onslaught, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hassoumi Massoudu, proclaimed himself head of state and called on all the democrats "to make this adventure fail". Army units, still loyal to the Government, were deployed at various strategic points in the country.
The international community is also pushing for it to fail as it would leave the region at the mercy of Russian influence, which has been able to take advantage of regional instability and encourage feelings of hatred towards France. Both the African Union and the Economic Commission for West African States (CEDAO) and the UN Secretary General condemned the coup and called for the release of Bazoum, 63, who faces his second coup since the beginning of his mandate, in 2021. "The situation is serious enough that (...) we do not take it lightly and act quickly", said the president of Benin, Patrice Talon, who heads the ECOWAS delegation sent to the country as a mediator. In the same sense, on restoring the constitutional order, the Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sergey Lavrov, spoke.
Dozens of people took to the streets of Niamey to protest against what yesterday was still defined as an attempted coup, but there were also demonstrations in favor. Niger, which has one of the most important uranium reserves in the world, is considered one of the poorest countries on the planet. Ten of its 25.3 million inhabitants live below the poverty line.
