Niger’s military-appointed Prime Minister, Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine, embarked on an unannounced visit to neighbouring Chad on Tuesday, as West African states prepared for talks to discuss potential military intervention to reverse the recent coup in Niger. These developments come amidst growing calls from the international community, including the United States and Russia, urging a diplomatic resolution to the ongoing crisis.
The Chadian government confirmed Zeine’s “working visit” after his meeting with Chadian President Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno, stating that he brought a message of “good neighbourliness and good fraternity” from Niger’s interim leaders. Zeine emphasized the country’s readiness to engage in dialogue with all parties while maintaining its independence during this transitional period.
President Deby, a significant player in the unstable Sahel region, had flown to the Nigerien capital, Niamey, just four days after the coup. Images released later showed Deby meeting with the detained former President Mohamed Bazoum, as well as General Salifou Mody, one of the leaders of the current regime.
Zeine’s visit coincided with reports that military chiefs from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) would convene in Ghana on Thursday and Friday to discuss the potential intervention in Niger. Originally scheduled for last Saturday but postponed, the meeting follows an ECOWAS summit last week in which the deployment of a “standby force to restore constitutional order” in Niger was approved.
Analysts caution that military intervention presents operational risks and political challenges, given the divisions within ECOWAS and concerns over exacerbating the Sahel region’s long-standing instability. ECOWAS has previously intervened militarily six times among its member states since 1990, but it has repeatedly stressed a preference for a diplomatic resolution.
The United States, echoing this sentiment, emphasized the need for a diplomatic outcome. Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated, “I believe that there continues to be space for diplomacy in achieving that result.” He added that international pressure, including that exerted by ECOWAS, is mounting, and the military leaders in Niger must take this into account as their actions have isolated them regionally and globally.
Russian President Vladimir Putin also urged a “peaceful political and diplomatic” resolution to the crisis in a phone call with the junta leader of Mali, Assimi Goita, according to the Kremlin.
The coup in Niger, which ousted President Bazoum, reverberated across West Africa. Bazoum’s election in 2021 marked a landmark in Niger’s history, as it was the country’s first peaceful transfer of power since gaining independence from France in 1960. Similar to Mali and Burkina Faso, Niger has been grappling with a jihadist insurgency.
In response to the coup, ECOWAS imposed tough trade and financial sanctions, while France, Germany, and the United States suspended their aid programs. ECOWAS gave the new regime a one-week ultimatum, which expired on July 30, to restore Bazoum or face the potential use of force. However, no action was taken within the given timeframe.
Since the crisis unfolded, Niger’s military government has sent mixed signals. They expressed openness to diplomatic efforts following a meeting between General Abdourahamane Tiani and Nigerian religious mediators. However, on Sunday night, the regime announced that they possessed enough evidence to prosecute Bazoum, accusing him of “high treason and undermining internal and external security.” This decision was widely condemned by ECOWAS and the international community.
Niger, a landlocked country located in the arid Sahel region, is one of the world’s poorest and most unstable nations. The ousting of President Bazoum, after surviving two attempted coups in the past, deals a significant blow to French and US strategies in the Sahel. France had shifted its anti-jihadist operations to Niger after withdrawing from Mali and Burkina Faso last year following tensions with their respective juntas.
As concerns grow for the well-being of President Bazoum, his wife, and son, who have been held at the official presidential residence since the coup, talks between the regime and ECOWAS have commenced in Addis Ababa under the auspices of the African Union.
Image Credit: REgis Duvignau/Pool Photo via AP
