Niger’s military junta says it is severing military agreements with France, its former colonial ruler, firing some of the previous government’s key ambassadors and warning citizens of the West African nation to watch for foreign armies and spies.
Niger’s mutinous soldiers face a Sunday deadline set by the regional bloc known as ECOWAS, whose envoys arrived on Thursday for talks. But those discussions stalled, with the delegation unable to meet the coup leader, Gen. Abdourahmane Tchiani, or go into the capital, Niamey, according to a person with close knowledge of the talks who spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to comment.
France’s Foreign Ministry responded that Paris only recognizes “the legitimate Nigerien authorities,” dismissing the move by coup leaders. France reiterated its call for “the re-establishment of the democratic institutions of Niger,” the ministry said. France has 1,500 military personnel in Niger, which had been envisioned as the base for counterterror operations in the region after anti-French sentiments grew elsewhere.The U.S. has 1,100 military personnel in Niger, including at a key drone base, and indicates it’s reluctant to leave, especially with the growing influence of the Russian private military group Wagner in the Sahel.
Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu, fulfilling a legal requirement, informed lawmakers on Friday of the ECOWAS intention to intervene militarily in Niger if the coup leaders “remain recalcitrant.” Another concern is that the junta might arm civilian militias to resist any intervention. “Already they’ve been using the threat of an intervention to try to bolster their legitimacy and rally the population around the flag, quite literally by organizing some major rallies,” Barnett said. “I fear the junta would gladly use its own people as cannon fodder or human shields, and ECOWAS militaries don’t have a good record when it comes to avoiding collateral damage.
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