Last month in Niger, a country of roughly 25 million in north Africa, an army general deposed the country’s first elected president in a coup, ending its brief experiment in democracy.
On July 26, General Abdourahamane Tiani placed President Mohamed Bazoum under house arrest. He then went on television to declare himself the new ruler of Niger. His stated goal was to improve the security of a country in a region marked by violence from Al Qaeda and the Islamic State. The international community immediately condemned the coup. The European Union, France, and the US have halted assistance. The African Union tried to meet with coup leaders, but their trip was denied. ECOWAS, the Economic Community of West African States, ended aid, imposed sanctions, sealed its borders, and froze its assets. Neither the African Union nor ECOWAS have ruled out the use of force to restore democracy. In fact, ECOWAS leaders have begun to establish a “standby” military force.
ECOWAS is a 15-member country composed of West African nations. It was formed in 1975 to promote economic development and “collective self-sufficiency.” It works closely with the African Union, a broader organization that encompasses all of Africa. Both organizations realize that ultimate economic prosperity requires political stability. ECOWAS has made interventions in member nations before, but not consistently. Nonetheless, it may be the formula for a new level of stability in Africa. While no one wants to see war, the threat of armed intervention, consistently applied, may cause would-be dictators to think twice before toppling a democratic regime. Niger becomes the third north African democracy overthrown by its military in recent years (Mali, Burkina Faso). A supranational entity like ECOWAS, or the AU, may add a layer of stability that individual countries do not have.
The Ivory Coast recently committed a battalion of a thousand soldiers to the ECOWAS standby force. In response, coup leaders say they will kill the former president if anyone invades. Tragically, reports are that the health of the former president is rapidly deteriorating amidst “deplorable living conditions.” As such, their deterrent may not work for much longer.
Source:
Eve Brennan, Dalal Mawad, Oliver Briscoe, Martin Goillandeau, “Niger General Appears on State TV as New Leader Following Coup, CNN, 28 July 2023; accessed from https://www.cnn.com/2023/07/28/africa/niger-coup-general-state-tv-appearance-intl/index.html
Boureima Balima, Felix Onuah, “West Africa Threatens Force on Niger Coup Leaders, French Embassy Attacked,” Reuters, 31 July 2023; accessed from https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/pro-coup-protests-niger-west-african-leaders-meet-2023-07-30/
“Niger Coup Leaders Rebuff Diplomatic Overtures from AU, ECOWAS,” Aljazeera, 8 Aug 2023; accessed from https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/8/8/niger-coup-leaders-rebuff-diplomatic-overtures-from-au-ecowas
Sean Seddon, “Niger Coup: West Africa Nations to Assemble ‘Standby Force’,” BBC; 10 August 2023; accessed from https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa
Sam Mednick, Chinedu Asadu, “Western Officials: Niger Junta Wanted They’d Kill Deposed President After Any Military Intervention,” Associated Press, 10 August 2023, https://apnews.com/article/niger-coup-jihadis-west-africa-9032a0e1161551ffcfde4b785f6cf74a
Photo: Balima Boureima, Anadolu Agency (Getty Images)
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