2023-08-06 05:00:20
Demonstrators on the roof of a building in Place de la Concertation, in Niamey, on August 3, 2023. – / AFP
Pressure from the international community is increasing on the putschists who took power in Niger on 26 July.
In a few hours, Sunday August 6, the ultimatum of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) will end; it says it is ready to intervene militarily in this country. On July 30, she had given seven days to the Nigerien junta to restore President Mohamed Bazoum to his functions, under penalty of using ” strength “. The latter has been kidnapped since the coup.
In Paris, the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs indicated that it supported “with firmness and determination” ECOWAS efforts to thwart the putsch attempt. “Niger’s future and the stability of the entire region are at stake”.
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On Friday, the chiefs of staff of ECOWAS member countries “defined the contours of a possible military intervention against the Nigerien junta, according to an official of the regional organization. “All aspects of a possible intervention were discussed at this meeting, including the resources needed, but also how and when we will deploy the force”Commissioner for Political Affairs and Security Abdel-Fatau Musah said after a meeting in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital.
The “coup d’etat too many”
In Niger, rallies in support of the putschists took place across the country on Friday and Saturday, with demonstrators waving Nigerien and Russian flags or portraits of the perpetrators of the coup, national TV and local journalists reported. .
In Paris, around thirty people expressed their support for Mr. Bazoum, including his Prime Minister, Ouhoumoudou Mahamadou.
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« I remain optimistic because I know how much Nigeriens value democracy and the stability of their country. A happy ending is still possible. As you know, in any negotiation, anything can happen until the deadline is met. The last minutes are crucial. »he said, to the Mondeensuring that President Bazoum is in “very good health”.
From the French capital, Ouhoumoudou Mahamadou prefers to believe in fruitful discussions between all parties: “As long as the ultimatum has not come to an end, there is still hope. »
Nigerien Prime Minister Ouhoumoudou Mahamadou during an interview with the international press in Paris, France, August 5, 2023. STEPHANIE LECOCQ / REUTERS
However, several West African armies, including that of Senegal, have said they are ready to send soldiers. A source close to the Ivorian delegation in Abuja also mentioned sending troops, without specifying the possible number of men mobilized.
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The head of French diplomacy, Catherine Colonna, said on Saturday morning on France Info that it was necessary “take very seriously the threat of recourse to intervention” of ECOWAS. In another interview with RFI, a radio whose broadcast was interrupted in Niger, she considered that it was the “coup d’etat too many”after those, in recent years, in Mali and Burkina Faso.
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His colleague in the armies, Sébastien Lecornu, assured Agence France-Presse that Paris knew that “the situation was fragile in Niger”. “What may surprise is that the trigger for this coup [prenne sa source dans] a personal dispute” between General Abdouharamane Tiani, leader of the putschists and the presidential guard, and President Bazoum, he added.
Mali and Burkina Faso in support of Niger
In Mali and Burkina Faso, faced with jihadist violence like Niger, the putschist soldiers warned that they would stand in solidarity with their neighbor and that any military intervention would be considered “a declaration of war” against them.
In Nigeria, where President Bola Tinubu has raised his voice against the Nigerian junta, voices are being heard against intervention. “The victims will be innocent citizens going about their daily business”said the Forum of Northern Senators in a statement signed by its spokesman, Suleiman Kawu Sumaila, adding that the inhabitants of the north of the country, would be “negatively affected”.
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“We categorically refuse any military intervention”also reacted Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, assuring that a military intervention in Niger would be “a direct threat to Algeria”. ” Two countries [le Mali et le Burkina Faso] are ready to go into battle”he recalled in a television interview, warning that in the event of a military intervention “the whole Sahel will be set ablaze”.
The putschists of Niamey for their part promised a “immediate response” To “any aggression”. The diplomatic solution continues to be preferred according to Abdel-Fatau Musah, the commissioner in charge of political affairs and security of ECOWAS, joined on this point by Benin, a neighboring country of Niger and a member of the regional organization.
Several Western chancelleries have also advocated dialogue, in particular Germany, which has called for the continuation of “mediation efforts”.
Relations between the junta in Niger and the former colonial power France have deteriorated in recent days. The putschists denounced Thursday evening cooperation agreements in the field of security and defense with France, which deploys in Niger a military contingent of 1,500 soldiers for the fight against terrorism.
In Niamey, citizen “watch brigades” have been set up on several roundabouts in Niamey to “monitoring the external threat”. In a decree read Thursday evening on television, the junta had called “the population to be vigilant with regard to spies and foreign armed forces”and invited citizens to send the authorities “any information relating to the entry or movement of suspicious individuals”.
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