As deadline arrives for Niger's junta to reinstate the president, residents brace for what's next
CTV
The deadline has arrived Sunday for Niger's military junta to reinstate the country's ousted president, but the West Africa regional bloc that has threatened a military intervention faces prominent appeals to pursue more peaceful means.
The deadline has arrived Sunday for Niger's military junta to reinstate the country's ousted president, but the West Africa regional bloc that has threatened a military intervention faces prominent appeals to pursue more peaceful means.
Neighbouring Nigeria's Senate on Saturday pushed back against the plan by the regional bloc known as ECOWAS, urging Nigeria's president, the bloc's current chair, to explore options other than the use of force. ECOWAS can still move ahead, as final decisions are taken by consensus by member states, but the warning on the eve of Sunday's deadline raised questions about the intervention's fate.
The threat of military intervention came in the wake of the Jul. 27 coup when mutinous soldiers installed their leader, Gen. Abdourahmane Tchiani, as Niger's new head of state. Even as Tchiani asked for national and international support, fears swelled that the country's political crisis could hinder its fight against jihadists and boost Russia's influence in West Africa.
The coup adds another layer of complexity to the West Africa region that's struggling with military takeovers, Islamic extremism and a shift by some states toward Russia and its proxy, the Wagner mercenary group.
Algeria and Chad, non-ECOWAS neighbours with strong militaries in the region, both have said they oppose the use of force or won't intervene militarily, and neighbouring Mali and Burkina Faso - both run by juntas - have said an intervention would be a "declaration of war" against them, too.
Niger's ousted President Mohamed Bazoum said he is held "hostage" by the mutinous soldiers. An ECOWAS delegation was unable to meet with Tchiani, who analysts have asserted led the coup to avoid being fired. Now the junta has reached out to Wagner for assistance while severing security ties with former colonizer France.
Hours before Sunday's deadline, hundreds of youth joined security forces in the darkened streets in Niger's capital, Niamey to stand guard at a dozen roundabouts until morning, checking cars for weapons and heeding the junta's call to watch out for foreign intervention and spies.
