Niger junta supporters protest sanctions as region considers intervention

[August 03, 2023]  By Boureima Balima and Abdel-Kader Mazou

NIAMEY/ABUJA (Reuters) -Hundreds of supporters of Niger's military junta marched in the capital Niamey on Thursday to protest against West African sanctions, as the region's defence chiefs were due to wind up talks on a possible intervention to restore democracy.

General Abdourahamane Tiani, the former head of Niger's presidential guard, confined President Mohamed Bazoum to his residence last Wednesday and declared himself head of state in the seventh coup in West and Central Africa since 2020.

The main regional bloc, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has imposed sanctions and said it could authorize the use of force if soldiers did not restore Bazoum to power by Sunday.

It has taken its hardest line yet with Niger, saying it had to show that it "cannot only bark but can bite".

One of the demonstrators in Niamey held a placard that said: "Long live Niger, Russia, Mali and Burkina. Down with France, ECOWAS, EU."

Like the recent coups in neighbouring Burkina Faso and Mali, Niger's military takeover has come amid a growing wave of anti-French sentiment, with locals saying they want the former colonial ruler to stop interfering in their affairs.

France has between 1,000 and 1,500 troops in Niger, helping to fight an Islamist insurgency that has spread across the region.

Western countries are concerned that, like some of its neighbours, Niger could turn towards Russia as an ally instead.

"We are going to do a demonstration to all the countries of ECOWAS and all who are taking inhumane and unpopular measures toward Niger which is in the midst of freeing itself from the yoke of colonisation," another protester, who did not give his name, told Reuters.

In a televised address on Wednesday night, Tiani vowed not to bow to international pressure to step down and called the sanctions "inhumane". He said he rejected any foreign interference but was open to dialogue within the country.

"We have always listened with humility to all the parties concerned and are open to dialogue so that ... together we can create the conditions for a peaceful transition that should lead to elections within a relatively short and reasonable time," he said. He did not give any timeline.

INTERVENTION PLAN

West African defence chiefs meeting in Nigeria were due to conclude their discussions about possible intervention in Niger, although they have said this would be a last resort.

An aerial view of traffic on a street in the capital Niamey, Niger July 28, 2023. REUTERS/Souleymane Ag Anara

The goal of the two-day meeting was to draw up a plan for an eventual military intervention to restore constitutional order, according to a statement from Ivory Coast's National Security Council.

The regional bloc also said on Wednesday that it had sent a Nigerian-led delegation to Niger to negotiate with the coup leaders. However, on Thursday a source in Nigeria's presidency said the delegation had not yet departed due to an issue relating to flight permits.

ECOWAS has struggled to contain democratic backsliding in West Africa and has vowed that coups will no longer be tolerated after military takeovers in Mali, Burkina Faso and Guinea and an attempted coup in Guinea-Bissau.

Mali and Burkina Faso - also ruled by juntas - have said they will treat an intervention in Niger as a "declaration of war" against them too, and would withdraw from ECOWAS and come to Niamey's defence.

Tiani sent a general to both countries on Wednesday to shore up support.

"We are happy with the proximity that we have with our Malian brothers to thwart any attempt to destabilize our space," Niger General Salifou Mody said on Malian state radio, following his meeting there.

There are signs that regional sanctions are starting to have an impact: Nigeria cut power supplies to Niger, while Nigerien truckers were stranded in limbo by border closures.

Thursday also marks the 63rd anniversary of Niger's independence from France. U.S. President Joe Biden said in a statement marking the day that Nigeriens had the right to choose their own leaders.

Niger has been an important Western ally in a fight against groups linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State, and the coup has been condemned by foreign powers who fear it could allow the militants to gain ground.

It is also the world's seventh-biggest producer of uranium, widely used for nuclear energy and treating cancer.

The turmoil has prompted some European nations to evacuatecitizens by plane. Paris said on Thursday it has completed the evacuation of hundreds of French and European citizens.

(Reporting by Camillus Eboh; additional reporting by Thiam Ndiaga, Tiemoko Diallo and Ange Aboa; writing by Alessandra Prentice and Nellie Peyton; editing by Alexander Winning, Emelia Sithole-Matarise, Nick Macfie and Giles Elgood)

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