Niger government defiant after army claims to oust president – National | 24CA News
People in Niger awoke to a divided nation Thursday after mutinous troopers claimed to have ousted the president. But the federal government mentioned it’s going to by no means settle for their rule and has referred to as for the inhabitants to reject it.
“There was an attempted coup, but of course we cannot accept it,” Minister of Foreign Affairs Hassoumi Massoudou instructed news community France 24 in an interview Thursday.
“We call on all Nigerien democratic patriots to stand up as one to say no to this factious action that tends to set us back decades and block the progress of our country,” he mentioned. He additionally referred to as for the president’s unconditional launch and mentioned talks had been ongoing.
President Mohamed Bazoum was elected in 2021 within the West African nation’s first peaceable, democratic switch of energy since its independence from France in 1960. He thwarted a coup try days earlier than he was sworn in.
Threats to his management undermine the West’s efforts to stabilize Africa’s Sahel area, which has been overrun with coups in recent times. Mali and Burkina Faso have had 4 coups since 2020, and each are being overrun by extremists linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group. United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Niger in March, looking for to strengthen ties with a rustic the place extremists have carried out assaults on civilians and army personnel however the total safety state of affairs was not as dire as in neighboring nations.
On Wednesday morning, members of the presidential guard surrounded the home of Bazoum with him and his spouse inside and detained him.
Supporters of Nigerien President Mohamed Bazoum show in his assist in Niamey, Niger, Wednesday July 26, 2023.
AP Photo/Sam Mednick
The mutinous troopers, who name themselves the National Council for the Safeguarding of the Country, took to state tv and introduced that they had seized management due to the deteriorating safety and dangerous financial and social governance of the nation’s 25 million folks. They mentioned all establishments had been suspended and safety forces had been managing the state of affairs, and urged exterior companions to not intervene. The tried coup was allegedly sparked by the top of the presidential guard, General Tchiani, who the president had deliberate to alleviate from his place, Niger analysts say.
According to somebody near the president who spoke on situation of anonymity as a result of they weren’t licensed to discuss the state of affairs, the president has not and won’t resign and is protected in his residence.
“The hard-won achievements will be safeguarded. All Nigeriens who love democracy and freedom will see to it,” Bazoum tweeted early Thursday morning.
It’s unclear how a lot assist the coup leaders have from the remainder of the safety forces, however assist for Bazoum among the many inhabitants and political events seems robust. In an announcement Wednesday, a bunch of Nigerien political teams mentioned the state of affairs was “suicidal and anti-republican madness.”
“Our country, faced with insecurity, terrorism and the challenges of underdevelopment, cannot afford to be distracted,” it mentioned.
Benin President Patrice Talon, head of the Economic Community of West African State, is anticipated to guide talks as a part of mediation efforts.
In this picture taken from video offered by ORTN, Col. Maj. Amadou Abdramane, entrance heart, makes an announcement late Wednesday, July 26, 2023, in Niamey, Niger, as a delegation of army officers appeared on Niger State TV to learn out a sequence of communiques saying their coup d’etat.
(ORTN by way of AP)
In an interview with the Associated Press in December, Bazoum mentioned that whereas there’s at all times the opportunity of a coup when armies fail to safe a nation towards extremists, Niger had the state of affairs underneath management. “We are doing well in managing our own situation,” he mentioned.
For many Western nations, Niger was seen because the final hope for partnership within the area with anti-French sentiment that led to a pivot from French forces in Mali to the Russian mercenary group Wagner, based by millionaire businessman Yevgeny Prigozhin. Wagner is believed to be making inroads in Burkina Faso as nicely.
There is concern {that a} potential new regime in Niger would take a web page from these nations’ playbooks and worsen instability.
The worldwide group strongly condemned the coup Thursday.
French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna tweeted that France is worried in regards to the occasions in Niger and following the state of affairs carefully. France “firmly condemns any attempt to take power by force,” the minister tweeted.
The European Union’s overseas coverage chief, Josep Borrell, tweeted that Niger is “an essential partner” for the EU within the Sahel and that the area’s “destabilization would serve no one’s interests.” He reaffirmed the EU’s full assist of Bazoum.
Associated Press reporters Tracy Brown in Washington and John Leicester in Paris contributed.
© 2023 The Canadian Press
