Where does Canada stand after the coup in Niger?
CTV
With the federal government suspending direct financial assistance to Niger's government, experts share their thoughts on where Canada and other western nations go from here.
With the federal government suspending direct financial assistance to Niger's government after a military coup removed the country's president, some experts say western nations, including Canada, should re-evaluate their policies abroad when it comes to promoting democracy abroad.
Canada announced on Saturday that it would suspend direct budgetary support to the government in Niger, where members of the country's military led a coup that ousted President Mohamed Bazoum.
Ottawa has said it "strongly condemns the attempted coup," while Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly has called for President Bazoum and the "democratically elected government" to be reinstated.
Meanwhile, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) – the regional trading bloc consisting of 15 West African countries — gave Niger's military junta until Sunday to reinstate the president under the threat of a military intervention.
However, some, including Nigeria's Senate, have called for a more peaceful resolution to the crisis.
On Canada's response, Andrew Rasiulis, a fellow at the Canadian Global Affairs Institute, formerly known as the Canadian Defence and Foreign Affairs Institute, told CTV News Channel on Sunday that he believes Canada has taken a "measured" step in suspending direct financial aid to the government.
"I think they (Niger) understand that Canada has been actually quite moderate in this respect and so it is not on the forefront of the concerns of the Nigerien government," Rasiulis said.
