The situation in Niger remained fluid on Thursday, a day after members of the presidential guard detained President Mohamed Bazoum at the presidential palace in Niamey. FRANCE 24 spoke with Danielle Resnick, a political scientist specialising in sub-Saharan Africa at the Brookings Institution, about how a military coup could affect Niger’s relations with regional and Western allies, and what it might mean for Russian influence on the African continent.
Niger’s army command on Thursday declared its support for a rebellion launched a day earlier by members of the presidential guard, saying its priority is to avoid destabilising the country. In a statement on behalf of military command, General Abdou Sidikou Issa said it “has decided to subscribe to the declaration made by the Defence and Security Forces … in order to avoid a deadly confrontation between the various forces”.
Earlier in the day, Nigerien President Mohamed Bazoum posted on the X social media site – formerly known as Twitter – that he intended to protect the “hard-won” democratic gains made in a country that saw four coups since gaining independence from France in 1960. Niger’s minister of foreign affairs, Hassoumi Massoudou, seconded this, telling FRANCE 24 on Thursday that “there was an attempted coup, but of course we cannot accept it”. He also called for the president’s unconditional release and said talks with the rebelling soldiers were ongoing.
Bazoum, a former interior minister, took office in 2021, marking Niger’s first-ever democratic transition. Seen as one of the most pro-Western leaders in the Sahel, notably in the fight against Islamist insurgents, his detention drew quick condemnation from the UN as well as Western capitals.
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UN chief Antonio Guterres called Thursday for Bazoum to be released “immediately and…
