ANALYSIS โ As reported last week, a military coup has rocked Niger, a key U.S. ally in Africa. The mutinous soldiers have detained the recently elected president. Why does this matter?
Well, for starters, the U.S. has troops and drones based there in the fight against Islamist jihadists, and the country is rich in uranium. Then there is Russia which is vying for influence and control. (RELATED: Military Coup Rocks Key US Ally In Volatile Region)
Meanwhile, neighboring countries led by Nigeria may take military action to restore the president to office.
West African nations have imposed sanctions and threatened force if Niger's coup leaders do not reinstate ousted President Mohamed Bazoum following the latest coup in the jihadist-plagued Sahel region just below the Sahara desert.
Coup leader General Abdourahmane Tiani declared himself head of state on Friday, claiming he seized power because of worsening security in Niger. Since 2021, when President Bazoum came to office, terrorist attacks have claimed the lives of at least 500 people. (RELATED: Sudan Headed For โFull-Scale Civil War' โ Will It Spread?)
Niger has become Europe's protection against jihadis โ Al Qaeda and Islamic State-linked terrorists from the north and west and Boko Haram fundamentalists from the south.
Western officials have praised President Bazoum as someone willing to fight terrorists and tackle the causes of radicalism.
Solยญdiers belongยญing to Niger's presยญidยญenยญtial guard detained Bazoum inside his offiยญcial residence in Niamey. Elected in February 2021, President Bazoum has Western support in the fight against violent extremism, corruption and widespread poverty.
As The Washington Postย reported:
The United States has aboutย 1,100 troops in Niger, including aย drone base, helping the country's military battle Islamist insurgents linked to the Islamic State and al-Qaeda. The United States also provides hundreds of millions of dollars in nonmilitaryย foreign assistance.ย
The move against Bazoum comes after milยญitยญary takeovers in neighboring Mali โ whereย coup leaders expelled French and UN peacekeepers โ and Burkยญina Faso.
Both countries have switched their pro-westยญern relationships to Russia, inviting Wagner Group mercenaries to help fight an Islamยญist insurยญgency that has taken over large swaths of the Sahel.
The Washington Post noted that:
The country also sits in the middle of the unstableย semiarid Sahel regionย south of the Sahara desert that unfortunately has become known as Africa's โcoup belt.โ Neighboring Mali and Burkina Faso recently also saw democratic governmentsย toppled in coups, ostensibly for the same reason cited by Niger's generals in their power grab โ the supposed failure of civilian leaders to crack down hard enough on the Islamist insurgents and bring security to the population. Niger's newest would-be military leader specifically blamed the deposed president for failing to cooperate more fully with Mali's military regime.
The Washington Post continued:
It is worrisome to see reports that many in Niger appear to be supporting this coup. Even more worrying are reports that some pro-coup members of the public wereย displaying Russian flagsย and calling for assistance from the Russian mercenary group Wagner, which has been active in Mali โ where they haveย supplanted French troopsย and have beenย credibly accused of human rights abuses, including massacres of noncombatants.ย
In Niger, Bazoum has by conยญtrast welยญcomed French troops and has courยญted both European and U.S. help in comยญbatยญing jihadi attacks.ย The coup follows Bazoum's pro-demoยญcracy moves, especially progressive attiยญtudes on women's rights and eduยญcaยญtion.
The United States, France and the United Nations have strongly condemned the putsch. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday called for the immediate release of Niger's leader.
โI spoke with President Bazoum earlier this morning and made clear that the United States resolutely supports him as the democratically elected president of Niger. We call for his immediate release,โ Blinken said. (RELATED: Former National Security Advisor Calls Blinken's China Trip โWeakness')
Blinken has also warnedย in Australiaย that the U.S. will suspend all financial and security assistance to Niger if the president isn't restored:
Our economic and security partnership with Niger, which is significant, hundreds of millions of dollars, depends on the continuation of the democratic governance and constitutional order that has been disrupted by the actions in the last few days.
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions ofย American Liberty News.
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