Niger ambassador to U.S. warns coup could destabilise region

Ambassador Liman-Tinguiri urges junta in Niamey to "come to reason" and return power to ousted President Mohamed Bazoum, warning that if Niger collapses, the entire Sahel region will be destabilised. He warns of "devastating consequences" if the situation continues, including economic sanctions, refugee crisis, and potential control of Africa's coast by mercenaries and jihadists.

Niger's junta must "come to reason" and return power to ousted President Mohamed Bazoum before the country and the wider region collapse, Niamey's ambassador to Washington said Thursday.

"If Niger collapses, the entire Sahel will collapse, will be destabilised," Ambassador Kiari Liman-Tinguiri told AFP in an interview on Niger's independence day, as the future of Western economic and security aid hang in the balance for the landlocked West African country facing multiple conflicts with violent extremists.

"The junta should come to reason, realise that this affair cannot succeed, and prevent useless, inevitable suffering for our people and hand back power," said Liman-Tinguiri, who remains a recognised diplomat in Washington and considers himself a representative of the "legitimate" President Bazoum, detained by his guards since late last month.

Explained | What led to the coup in Niger? Does it follow a wider pattern in the Sahel? 

A few hours later, the junta in Niamey announced that it was sacking Liman-Tinguiri in Washington as well as Niger's ambassadors to France, Nigeria and Togo.

Since officers seized power in the capital Niamey on July 26, the European Union and France have suspended security cooperation and aid, and Washington has suspended training with Niamey's security forces.

The West African regional bloc ECOWAS has imposed economic sanctions, and neighbouring Nigeria has cut electricity that feeds 70 percent of Niger's grid, leading to rolling blackouts in the capital. Rice prices have shot up 40 percent, Liman-Tinguiri added.