General Abdourahamane Tchiani took the floor on national television in Niger on Friday, July 28 at noon (local time, 1 p.m. in Paris) to declare himself at the head of the coup in progress to overthrow the president Mohammad Bazoum. Mr. Tchiani was, until then, head of the presidential guard who sequestrated Mr. Bazoum and his family in the presidential residence of Niamey, the capital.
“The National Council for the Safeguarding of the Homeland reaffirms its desire to respect all international commitments”, declared the general, before continuing: “The council, through my voice, asks the partners and friends of Niger, at this stage crucial to the life of our country, to trust our defense and security forces, guarantors of national unity, territorial integrity and the higher interests of our nation. »
Mr. Tchiani owed his appointment as head of the presidential guard in 2011 to Mahamadou Issoufou, the predecessor of Mohamed Bazoum. The latter had decided to keep the general in his post when he arrived at the head of the state, in 2021.
The European Union (EU) on Friday “strongly” condemned the coup, and threatened to suspend financial aid to the Sahel country, according to a statement from the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell. “Any breakdown of the constitutional order will have consequences for cooperation between the EU and Niger, including the immediate suspension of all budget support,” he said, saying the overthrow of President Mohamed Bazoum was “a serious attack on stability and democracy”.
French President Emmanuel Macron, traveling to Papua New Guinea, also condemned “with the greatest firmness the military coup, which is perfectly illegitimate and deeply dangerous for Nigeriens, for Niger, and for the whole region. This is why we call for the release of President Bazoum and the restoration of constitutional order,” Macron continued.
In a statement, the French Foreign Ministry also reiterated “in the strongest terms, the clear demands of the international community calling for the restoration without delay of constitutional order and democratically elected civil power in Niger”. France “does not recognize the authorities” resulting from the putsch led by General Abdourahamane Tchiani and considers Mohamed Bazoum, “democratically elected”, as “the only president of the Republic of Niger”, affirmed the Quai d’Orsay.
All components of the army in support of the putschists
The Nigerien army on Thursday supported the putschist soldiers who accused France, of which 1,500 soldiers are in Niger, of having violated the border closures by landing a military plane at Niamey international airport. They called “once and for all for strict compliance with the arrangements” made by the junta.
The military putschists announced “the suspension until further notice of the activities of political parties” and called “the population to calm” after incidents during a demonstration Thursday in Niamey organized to support them, during which Russian flags flew and anti-French slogans were chanted.
Despite the ban decreed by the military, a new demonstration is planned for Friday at the call of a coalition of opposition parties to President Bazoum, who “while disapproving of any change by force, supports the motivations” of the putschists, according to a press release.
After Mali and Burkina Faso, Niger, hitherto allied with Western countries, becomes the third country in the Sahel, undermined by attacks by groups linked to the Islamic State and Al-Qaeda, to experience a coup State since 2020. Mali and Burkina Faso notably turned to Russia after demanding the departure of French soldiers from their soil. The putsch in Niger was strongly condemned by Niger’s Western partners and the United Nations.