Unrest grows in Niger (Photo: Balima Boureima/Reuters)

Niger, a West African country, has undergone four coups since it gained independence in 1960. The most recent coup occurred in February 2010. Niger has 25 million people and two thirds of its natural area is desert. Niger has consistently ranked at the bottom of the UN’s Human Development Index.

Niger plunged into chaos

Mohamed Bazoum was elected President of Niger in 2021, when his country was mired in poverty. Today the country’s instability continues, with frequent reports of armed robbers and jihadist groups on the border.

In a statement issued after overthrowing the President on July 26, military spokesman Colonel Amadou Abdramane said defense and security forces decided to end the regime because of deteriorating security and mismanagement. He added that Niger’s borders had been closed and a nationwide curfew had been imposed.

On July 28, 2 days after the removal of the President, General Abdourahamane Tchiani, head of the Presidential Guard since 2011, declared himself the new leader of the troubled African nation and warned that any foreign military intervention would lead to anarchy.

The new ruling military junta has arrested several members of the government of President Bazoum.

Analysts say the instability in Niger is largely due to the influence of certain neighboring countries. Since 2020, coups have occurred in Mali, Guinea, and Burkina Faso. Late last year, leaders of the Economic Community of West Africa (ECOWAS) agreed to form a regional force to intervene in the event of a coup and fight jihadists.

Reaction from the international community

The military leaders of Mali and Burkina Faso have warned that any military intervention in Niger would be considered a declaration of war against Burkina Faso and Mali. In a Joint Statement issued at the end of an emergency summit in Nigeria's capital Abuja on July 30, the leaders of ECOWAS asked the military junta in Niger to relinquish power and restore constitutional order and the power of President Bazoum. Within a week, if this demand is not met, ECOWAS will take all necessary measures, possibly including military intervention, to restore constitutional order in Niger.

The leaders of 15 West African countries also imposed sanctions on the coup faction in Niger, including freezing all financial and commercial transactions between ECOWAS and Niger, closing Niger’s border, and banning entry for individuals involved in the coup. They condemned a number of foreign forces for aiding the coup.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres strongly condemned any attempt to seize power by force and undermine democratic governance, peace, and stability in Niger, and called on all parties to exercise restraint and ensure the protection of constitutional order.

The European Union, Germany, and France have suspended all financial support and halted all cooperation with Niger.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the US’s economic and security partnership with Niger, worth hundreds of millions of dollars, depends on Niger’s democracy and constitutional order.

Niger receives aid mainly from Western countries. It has struggled with two jihadist campaigns: one in the southwest, which infiltrated from Mali in 2015, and the other in the southeast, which involves jihadist forces from Nigeria. The overthrow of the constitutional government in Niger complicates Western efforts to help countries in the Sahel region fight a jihadist insurgency. It also makes the life of people in Niger, one of the world’s poorest countries, more difficult.