West African nations have issued a one-week ultimatum to the leaders of Niger’s coup, demanding the reinstatement of President Mohammed Bazoum. Failure to comply may result in the use of force, warned the regional bloc known as ECOWAS on Sunday. This comes after the soldiers who staged the seventh coup in recent years appeared on television to proclaim Gen. Abdourahmane Tchiani as the new leader, while Bazoum remains under house arrest and has not resigned.
To facilitate mediation efforts, Chad’s leader Mahamat Idriss Deby, who himself came to power through a coup in 2021, met with both the coup leaders and Bazoum. In addition to issuing a warning, ECOWAS and the West African Economic and Monetary Union have imposed several sanctions on Niger, including closed borders, a halt to commercial flights, and the freezing of national assets held in regional central banks. This poses a significant threat to Niger, the third poorest country in the world, and could have catastrophic consequences.
The implications of these actions extend beyond Niger. The country has been a crucial ally in Western campaigns against al Qaeda and Islamic State-linked insurgents in the Sahel, raising concerns that the coup could pave the way for greater Russian influence. Prior to the ECOWAS announcement, thousands of pro-junta supporters gathered in the capital to burn the flags of France, the former colonial ruler, and display Russian flags.
Overall, the situation in Niger is highly precarious, with the potential for regional instability and geopolitical shifts. The resolution of this crisis will have significant ramifications for both the country and its international allies.
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