Niger crisis deepens as France plans evacuation and coup leaders get support from neighboring juntas
France was preparing to evacuate French nationals and other Europeans from Niger, Tuesday. They were told to only carry a small bag. This came after three other West African countries ruled by mutinous military officers backed a coup in Niger.
As one of the main reasons for this decision, the French Foreign Ministry at Paris cited the recent violence against the French Embassy in Niamey’s capital as a factor.
According to the ministry, the closure of Niger’s airspace “leaves compatriots without the ability to leave their country on their own”
The evacuation is part of a growing crisis that was sparked last week by the coup against Niger’s democratically-elected president, Mohamed Bazoum.
|
In a press release, the French Ministry said that evacuations for French citizens and other Europeans who want to leave would begin on Tuesday. The ministry did not provide any other information. The report estimates that there are currently several hundred French nationals in Niger.
French and European citizens in the capital, some of whom have lived and worked in the country since years, prepared their suitcases in hotels, awaiting the news about the location and time of the evacuation.
The Associated Press quoted a former French official, who now trains the Nigerien Army as a civilian. “My work is not done. I hope that the situation will end and we can return one day soon,” he said. This happened so quickly that no one could have predicted it. “I was really surprised,” said the man, who spoke under condition of anonymity to protect his identity.
ECOWAS, the regional West African body, announced travel and financial sanctions against Niger Sunday. It also said that it would use force if coup leaders did not restore Bazoum in one week. Bazoum’s Government was one of West Africa’s last democratic allies against extremists.
The military governments of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Mali said in a joint declaration that “any military action against Niger would be considered a war declaration against Burkina Faso or Mali.”
Col. Abdoulaye Maiga read the statement Monday evening on Malian State TV. Both countries denounced ECOWAS sanctions for being “illegal, illegitimate, and inhumane”, and refused to implement them.
ECOWAS froze all Nigerien assets in central banks of its member countries. Niger is heavily dependent on foreign aid and sanctions may further impoverish the country’s more than 25,000,000 people.
Since 2020, Mali and Burkina Faso each have experienced two coups. Soldiers overthrew their governments, claiming that they could better combat the increasing jihadi terror linked to al-Qaida or the Islamic State group. ECOWAS sanctioned and suspended both countries from the bloc but did not threaten to use force.
Guinea, a country that has been under military rule in Niger since 2021, also issued a statement on Sunday in support of the junta. It also urged ECOWAS “to come to its senses.”
In a ruling party statement, Ibrahima Sory Bangoura said that the sanctions, which include military intervention, would not solve the problem but could lead to a humanitarian catastrophe whose effects would extend beyond Niger. He said that Guinea will not apply sanctions.
Former jihadi members said that the coup in Niger will increase jihadi violence and recruitment throughout the country, as well as threaten regional stability.
Boubacar Moussa is a former JNIM member and former al-Qaida-linked group. He said that the military coup was exactly what jihadis wanted because it would weaken the army, distract them, and cause confusion. He said that the jihadis were very supportive of the coup in Niger because it would allow them to grow stronger.
Moussa is a part of a national program that aims to bring back jihadis and reintegrate into society. He also uses their help to counterterrorism. Bazoum spearheaded the program when he served as minister of interior. It is meant to be an alternative to military solutions to stop violence in the country. The AP is unable to verify whether Moussa actively fought with JNIM.
In Niamey in anticipation of Sunday’s ECOWAS vote, thousands of pro junta supporters took the streets, denouncing France and waving Russian flags with signs that read “Down with France”, supporting Russian President Vladimir Putin, and telling the international public to stay away.
Although there is no explanation for the reference to Russia, some demonstrators see it as a symbol of their anti-Western sentiments.
The Nigerien Army dispersed the protesters after they had smashed a window and burned down the door of the French Embassy.
France’s Embassy in Niamey sent an email to French citizens in Niamey announcing the evacuation. The email stated that evacuations would be airlifts, and that spouses and kids of French citizens were also eligible. The message asked that people pack one small bag for each person, and also bring water, food, batteries, and phones.
Analysts say that Niger may be following the example of Mali and Burkina Faso where protesters waved Russian flags in their aftermath. Analysts say that after the second Burkina Faso coup, in September, protesters damaged and ransacked Institut Francais – France’s organization for international cultural promotion.
Analysts in Niger say that if ECOWAS used force it could trigger violence between civilians who support the coup and those opposed to it.
Although unlikely, the consequences for civilians if putschists choose confrontation would be disastrous, said Ridalyammouri. She is a senior fellow at the Policy Center for the New South in Morocco.
He said that he does not believe a military intervention will take place because of the potential violence.
A Western diplomat who refused to identify himself for security purposes said that the first sanctions against the coup plotters had failed and there was a resolve to use force. This could include troops from Nigeria Benin, Ivory Coast. The diplomat stated that Niger was being squeezed, and if imports were cut off, food and gas could quickly run out.
After the announcement of sanctions, U.S. Secretary Antony Blinken praised the resolve of ECOWAS leaders to “defend the constitutional order in Niger”, and joined them in calling for Bazoum’s immediate release.
Amadou Abdramane, the junta’s spokesperson, also banned social media messages that he deemed harmful to national security. He claimed, without any evidence, that Bazoum’s government had authorized French strikes to free Bazoum.
Amnesty International is a human rights organization that works internationally.
