The bloc is preparing sanctions on Niger, which had already been under sanctions applied by some countries in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) shortly after Niger’s military coup; the African Union also plans to review ECOWAS’s action to put a military force on standby (AP)
After self-declared junta leader Abdourahmane Tchiani pledged to transition back to democracy within three years on Saturday night, the peace and security envoy for the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) said the bloc would not accept the plan; an ECOWAS delegation met over the weekend with both Tchiani and deposed President Mohamed Bazoum, but no truce was reached (The Guardian)
At Least Twenty-Eight Dead in Niger Clashes
The attacks occurred in remote villages in Niger’s southwest Tillaberi region, where jihadist violence continues in the wake of the country’s military coup (AFP)
ECOWAS Bolstering Standby Force
The military chiefs of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) said that it is positioning to intervene militarily in Niger; meanwhile, African and international governments are still trying to restore democracy through diplomatic channels (The Guardian)
ECOWAS Meets Over Response to Niger Coup
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is meeting in Accra, Ghana, today to discuss their response to the coup in Niger; the bloc had threatened military intervention if Niger’s junta did not reinstate deposed President Mohamed Bazoum, but some African countries disagree over the idea of using force (RFI)
ECOWAS has said it favors a diplomatic resolution to the crisis (CNN)
Niger’s Capital Prepares Recruitment Drive Amid Invasion Threat
Some Niamey residents are calling for Nigeriens to sign up to fight with the junta in the event that a regional West African bloc invades the country in response to last month’s military coup; the bloc’s defense chiefs are meeting this week after announcing the creation of a “standby force” that aims to restore order in Niger (AP)
Niger Military Junta Will Prosecute Deposed President
Hours after meeting with mediators, Niger’s military junta said that they had enough evidence to prosecute deposed President Mohamed Bazoum for “high treason;” if convicted, he could face the death penalty (Reuters)
The African Union is meeting today to discuss the coup (Guardian)
Fighting in Sudan’s Darfur Raises Concerns of Instability in Chad
Chadian President Mahamat Déby faces a refugee crisis and pressure to choose a side in the conflict from competing interest groups; the added tensions further complicate his efforts to assert his legitimacy as he balances domestic political factions and fights rebel groups (International Crisis Group)
West African Bloc Calls Up Forces Amid Concern Over Niger Coup
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) ordered the activation of a “standby force” during an emergency meeting yesterday that weighed responses to the recent coup in Niger (AFP)
The order comes amid rising fears over the danger to deposed President Mohamed Bazoum; the Associated Press reported that the junta have threatened to kill Bazoum if neighboring countries attempt any military intervention (AP)
The United States, African Union, and European Union have all made public appeals for Bazoum’s safety (Reuters)
While ECOWAS has threatened to intervene militarily if Niger’s junta does not restore Bazoum to power, a standby force could take weeks or longer to assemble, and Nigerian President Bola Tinubu said the bloc is prioritizing a diplomatic solution to the crisis (Reuters)
Niger Junta Names New Government as West Africa Talks Begin
Niger’s military junta named twenty-one ministers to make up their government on state television yesterday while countries from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) begin talks today on their regional response to the two-week-old coup at an emergency summit in Nigeria’s capital, Abuja; the summit comes four days after the junta defied ECOWAS’s deadline to reinstate Niger’s deposed President Mohamed Bazoum (France 24)
Sahel Deaths Are Surging, Contradicting Junta Security Claims
According to the ACLED Project, violence killed at least 7,800 civilians in the first seven months of 2023, with state security forces and their mercenaries responsible for some of those deaths (Bloomberg)
Senior U.S. State Department Official Holds Talks With Niger Coup Leaders
U.S. Acting Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland met with officials from Niger’s military junta yesterday to discuss a negotiated solution to their recent seizure of power; she was not able to meet with coup leader Abdourahamane Tchiani or deposed President Mohamed Bazoum, while Tchiani met yesterday with junta officials from neighboring Burkina Faso and Mali (Reuters)
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that Washington supports efforts by the Economic Community of West African States to restore constitutional order in Niger; the bloc is preparing to hold a summit on the issue on Thursday (France 24)
Burkina Faso and Mali to Send Delegations to Niger
The joint delegation intends to express solidarity with Niger’s coup leaders; the announcement comes a day after the ECOWAS deadline to reinstate President Mohamed Bazoum (AFP)
Meanwhile, France suspended aid to Burkina Faso over its rhetorical backing of Niger’s coup (AFP)
Separately, a UN sanctions report alleged Mali’s military and foreign security partners use “systematic” sexual violence against women; those foreign partners are presumed to be members of the Russian private military company Wagner Group (Reuters)
Niger’s Military Junta Closes Airspace
The military officials who overthrew Niger’s government on July 26 closed the country’s airspace, citing the threat of external military intervention; a deadline imposed by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to reinstate deposed President Mohamed Bazoum passed on Sunday, after which point the bloc has threatened the possible use of force (BBC)
Deposed Niger Leader Calls for International Support to Restore Order
Writing in a Washington Post op-ed, Mohamed Bazoum called on the U.S. government “and the entire international community to help us restore our constitutional order” after last week’s military coup (WaPo)
Niger’s coup leaders announced overnight that they would end military cooperation with France (WSJ)
Nigeria Cuts Power Supply to Niger as Neighbors Debate Coup Response
Nigeria cut off its electricity supply to Niger as part of sanctions imposed in response to the military’s decision to overthrow the country’s government last week, while the World Bank announced that it was suspending development aid other than private-sector partnerships (AFP;AFP)
A bloc of West African nations led by Nigeria is meeting for a second day of talks today on how to respond to the coup, while U.S. President Joe Biden called today for the release of Niger’s ousted president and ordered a partial evacuation of the U.S. embassy in the capital, Niamey (VOA)
West African Delegation to Niger Says Force is ‘Last Resort’
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) sent negotiators to Niger after threatening to use force if Niger’s military does not restore President Mohamed Bazoum (Al Jazeera)
While ECOWAS has reacted strongly to the coup with sanctions and threats of intervention, Niger’s military has leaned on other military regimes nearby; today, a Nigerien coup leader met with Mali’s military government, which has close ties with the Russian private military company Wagner Group (NYT)
Two of Niger’s Neighbors Say Military Action to Reverse Coup Would Mean ‘War’
Burkina Faso and Mali, both ruled by military governments, warned yesterday that they would view any military intervention to reverse Niger’s days-old coup as a “declaration of war,” sparking fears of a larger regional conflict in West Africa (NYT)
The statement rebuked the Economic Community of West African States’ (ECOWAS) condemnation on Sunday of the coup and its threat to respond to the situation with force (WaPo)
Nearby Guinea, which is also military-ruled, said it would not join sanctions against Niger either (CNN)
Meanwhile, coup leaders arrested several senior members of the detained president’s party (WSJ)
The U.S. State Department said yesterday that it did not believe the coup had yet been fully successful and that there was a narrow opportunity to reinstate democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum (Reuters)
France and Italy said today that they would begin evacuating their citizens from Niger (Reuters)
Western Countries Suspend Aid to Niger Following Coup
The United States and the European Union cut off assistance to Niger and condemned the military takeover, while West African states have threatened a military intervention (WaPo)
West Africa Bloc Sets One Week Deadline for Reversal of Niger Coup
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) imposed financial sanctions on those involved in Niger’s military coup last week; yesterday, the bloc threatened to use military force if the democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum is not reinstated within seven days (NYT)
Chadian President Mahamat Idriss Deby has offered to liaise between Niger’s military and ECOWAS (Reuters)
Niger Security Forces Announce Transitional Leader After Coup
The head of Niger’s presidential guard Abdourahmane Tchiani appeared on state-run television today to declare that he was the country’s transitional leader after a military overthrow of President Mohamed Bazoum (Al Jazeera)
Niger is critical to international efforts to combat terrorism in the Sahel, but the power grab puts into question the continued presence of foreign troops in the country (Al Jazeera)
Niger’s Army Command Announces Support for Military Takeover
Niger’s army command said today that it backs a military coup declared yesterday by a group of soldiers after members of the presidential guard took President Mohamed Bazoum captive; Bazoum tweeted that he would resist the coup and urged democratic forces in Niger to do the same, while his foreign minister said the coup, the seventh in West and Central Africa since 2020, did not have the military’s full backing (Reuters)
Niger has been a critical ally for Western forces aiming to fight insurgents in the Sahel in recent years; France moved its troops from Mali to Niger in 2022 as its relations with Mali worsened, more than one thousand U.S. forces are stationed in the country, and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken called Niger a “model of democracy” during a March visit (AP)
Spokespeople from the United States, European Union, and United Nations issued statements of support for Bazoum, while the African Union and the Economic Community of West African States condemned the attempted coup (BBC)
Over 40,000 Face Starvation Amid Militant Blockade in Burkina Faso
Militants have trapped about 800,000 people in the area during their siege over the last year, including hundreds of thousands of internally displaced people in the town of Djibo (Bloomberg)
Meanwhile, Mali has dropped French as an official language under its new constitution (Africa News)
Russia Sells Mali Wheat at Prices Cheaper Than Those in Europe
Before Russia ended its participation in a deal that allowed Ukraine to export wheat from its Black Sea ports, it reportedly had been selling its own to Mali at prices lower than those offered in Europe to boost ties with one of its strongest African allies; African countries have been some of the most severely impacted by food insecurity as a consequence of the war in Ukraine (Bloomberg)
Meanwhile, the United States today sanctioned three top officials in Mali’s junta for their alleged involvement with Wagner forces, which have been accused of committing atrocities (BBC)
In Burkina Faso, a court sentenced a pro-junta activist to three years in prison after he criticized the security forces (AFP)
HRW: Malian Forces and Wagner Group Committed Atrocities in Mali
A new report by Human Rights Watch alleges the troops have carried out executions, disappearances, torture, and looting in central Mali since December 2022 (VOA)