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Military Coup In Niger – President Detained, All Institutions Suspended

On Thursday, soldiers claimed to have overthrown the Niger government in an apparent coup when members of the Presidential Guard detained President Mohamed Bazoum. On Wednesday, disgruntled members of the elite Presidential Guard blocked access to the President’s residence and offices in the capital Niamey, and after talks broke down, “refused to release the President,” according to a presidential source.

Military Coup In Niger: Why In The News?

  • Soldiers Claimed To Have Overthrown The Niger Government On Thursday Following An Apparent Coup In The Fragile State After Members Of The Presidential Guard Detained President Mohamed Bazoum.
  • Disgruntled Members Of The Elite Presidential Guard Sealed Off Access To The President’s Residence And Offices In The Capital Niamey On Wednesday, And After Talks Broke Down “Refused To Release The President,” A Presidential Source Said.
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Military Coup In Niger: What Do We Know?

  • “We, The Defence And Security Forces… Have Decided To Put An End To The Regime” Of President Bazoum, Said Colonel-Major Amadou Abdramane. They Said, “All Institutions” In The Country Would Be Suspended, Borders Were Closed, And A Curfew Had Been Imposed “Until Further Notice”.
  • The Economic Community Of West African States (ECOWAS) And The African Union Both Decried What They Called An “Attempted Coup D’รฉtat”. The Head Of ECOWAS Said Benin President Patrice Talon Was Heading To Niger In A Mediation Bid, After The Latest Bout Of Turbulence To Hit The Region.
  • President Talon Was Expected To Arrive In Niamey Thursday To Speak With Both Sides To Resolve The Crisis, After A Meeting In Abuja Wednesday With Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
  • One Of A Dwindling Group Of Pro-Western Leaders In The Sahel, Bazoum Was Elected In 2021, Taking The Helm Of A Country Burdened By Poverty And A History Of Chronic Instability.

Military Coup In Niger: International Responses

  • UN Chief Antonio Guterres Was Able To Talk To The Niger President On Wednesday Afternoon, His Spokesman Said, And “Expressed His Full Support And Solidarity”. The United States Has Demanded Bazoum’s Release, Saying It Was “Deeply Concerned”.
  • The European Union Said It “Associates Itself” With The ECOWAS Statement And Attacked “Any Attempt To Destabilize Democracy And Threaten The Stability” Of Niger.
  • France – Niger’s Former Colonial Power And Neighbouring Algeria Also Issued Condemnations, As Did The World Bank Which Said It “Strongly Condemns Any Attempt To Seize Power By Force” Or “Destabilize” Niger.
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Military Coup In Niger: Any Earlier Instances Of Coup?

  • The Landlocked State Has Experienced Four Coups Since Independence From France In 1960, And Numerous Other Attempts. Bazoum, A Former Interior Minister, Was the Right-hand Man To Former President Mahamadou Issoufou, Who Voluntarily Stepped Down After Two Terms.
  • Their Handover In April 2021, After Elections Won By Bazoum In A Two-Round Contest Against Former President Mahamane Ousmane, Marked Niger’s First Peaceful Transition Of Power Since Independence. But Reminders Of The Troubled Past Have Never Been Far Away.

Military Coup In Niger: Issues Of Poverty And Jihadism

  • Niger Is a Two-Thirds Desert And Frequently Ranks At The Bottom Of The UN’s Human Development Index, A Benchmark Of Prosperity. It Has A Surging Population Of 22.4 Million, Driven By A Birthrate Averaging Seven Children Per Woman.
  • Niger Is Struggling With Two Jihadist Campaigns – One In The Southwest, Which Swept In From Mali In 2015, And The Other In The Southeast, Involving Jihadists From Northeastern Nigeria.
  • Hundreds Of Thousands Of People Have Fled to Their Homes, Stoked A Humanitarian Crisis And Further Straining The Economy. The Poorly Equipped Military Is Receiving Training And Logistical Support From The United States And France, Which Have Bases There.

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