Niger coup draws condemnation from Russia and the West as regional body threatens force
NIAMEY, Niger - July 30, 2023: Coup supporters take to the streets carrying Nigerien and Russian flags after the army seized power in Niger.
LONDON — West African leaders on Sunday threatened military action against the junta that seized power last week in a coup in Niger, as protesters carrying Russian flags stormed the French embassy in capital city Niamey.
The military junta, now calling itself the National Council for the Safeguarding of the Fatherland, announced on Wednesday that it had captured democratically-elected President Mohamed Bazoum and removed his government from power, citing national security and corruption.
The coup is led by General Abdourahmane Tchiani, the commander of the presidential guard and a close ally of Bazoum's predecessor, Mahamadou Issoufou.
The U.S. and France, which have troops stationed in Niger, called for calm, but strongly condemned the coup, along with much of the international community. Bazoum took office two years ago in the country's first peaceful democratic transfer of power since gaining independence from France in 1960.
He has been able to speak with international leaders and on Monday met with Chad's President Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno at the presidential palace as part of Déby's mediation mission to the capital on behalf of ECOWAS, in which he also met with the coup leaders.
Thousands of Nigeriens took to the streets on Sunday in support of the coup, with many carrying Russian flags and chanting pro-Putin messages. Images purporting to be from the scene, which CNBC could not independently verify, showed fires outside the French embassy in Niamey, along with French flags being burned and projectiles thrown at the former colonial power's mission.
Moscow has joined appeals for Bazoum's immediate release, with Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov on Monday urging all sides to show restraint and return to order, according to Reuters.
On the other hand, Wagner Group mercenary boss Yevgeny Prigozhin, who took up arms against the Kremlin in June and whose private military organization has extensive interests in Africa, reportedly welcomed the coup in a recording posted to Telegram from a Wagner-affiliated group.
In the recording purporting to be of the Wagner leader, which has not been independently authenticated by CNBC, Prigozhin highlighted Wagner's proficiency in quashing unrest in the region.
Source: CNBC
