At the same time, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) kept up the threat of military intervention. The ECOWAS parliament announced on Saturday that it wanted to send a delegation to talks with the military leadership in Niger.
The Parliament had formed a corresponding committee. He should now ask Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu, as the current ECOWAS chairman, for permission to travel to Niger. More concrete decisions were not made at the parliamentary session on Saturday.
Military rulers ask Guinea for support
A delegation of the military rulers in Niger also visited Guinea. The Nigerien representatives had campaigned in Conakry for “increased support in dealing with future challenges”, reported the Guinean television on Saturday evening. Accordingly, the Nigerien delegation led by General Moussa Salaou Barmou met with the head of state of Guinea, Colonel Mamadi Doumbouya in Conakry. Barmou said he came to thank the Guinean authorities for their support of the now-ruling National Council for the Protection of the Fatherland (CNSP) “during these difficult times that Niger is going through”.
In late July, Guinea, where the military seized power in September 2021, had expressed its “rejection of sanctions advocated by the Economic Community of West Africa (ECOWAS)” against Niger, including military intervention. Conakry had also called on ECOWAS to “reconsider its position.” Mali and Burkina Faso, which are also ruled by the military, also showed solidarity with Niger.
The putschists led by General Abdourahamane Tiani overthrew the democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum at the end of July and recently presented a new government. The putschists rejected criticism from neighboring countries, the USA and European countries and the former colonial power France. Tiani rejected earlier diplomatic efforts, including those by ECOWAS. ECOWAS has threatened military intervention to restore constitutional order in Niger and reinstate Bazoum. Preparations for such a mission are under way in several ECOWAS member countries.
The fate of the entire region is at stake
At stake is not only the fate of Niger itself, a major uranium producer and hitherto an ally of the West in the fight against Islamists. It is also about the influence of rival states with strategic interests in the region. The US, France, Germany and Italy have deployed troops in Niger. They are said to be helping in the fight against offshoots of the extremist organizations al-Qaeda and Islamic State, which have killed thousands and displaced millions.
At the same time, Russia’s influence in the region is growing. The Russian Wagner mercenaries, for example, are active in Mali, among other places, where the military staged another coup two years ago. In Niger, too, demonstrators have repeatedly expressed their sympathy for Russia since the coup. Western states now fear that Russia’s influence could increase if the military rule in Niger follows the example of neighboring countries Mali and Burkina Faso. There, after military coups, the leadership expelled the troops of the former colonial power France.
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