European Union e United States they side with l’Ecowasthe Economic Community of West African States which launched a 7 day ultimatum to the coup plotters who took power in Niger, also threatening a military intervention to restore the government of the ousted president to command Mohamed Bazoum. An invitation that, at the moment, does not find the side, as expected, of the men of the self-proclaimed leader Abdourahmane Tchiani who have instead exploited the anti-French sentiment exploded in the country denouncing the alleged interference of Paris and its attempt to “intervene militarily” to put the ousted president back in office. “In line with its policy of seeking ways and means to intervene militarily in Niger, the France, with the complicity of some Nigeriens, held a meeting at the headquarters of the Niger National Guard to obtain the necessary political and military authorizations”, reads the communiqué of the putschists who meanwhile continue the repression against the exponents of the ousted government: they are in fact, four ministers, a former minister and the president’s party leader were arrested. The French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna he denies: “It’s false, we must not fall into the trap,” he told TV Bfm, underlining that it is still “possible” to restore the ousted president Mohamed Bazoum to his duties. “It is necessary because these destabilizations are dangerous for Niger and its neighbors”, he concluded, recalling that President Emmanuel Macron “actively follows the current situation” and spoke with Bazoum and other African leaders.
The oil minister was arrested on Monday morning Mahamane Sani Mahamadouson of the former president Mahamadou Issoufouand the Minister of Mines Ousseini Hadizatou. The coup plotters also “arrested the president of the national executive committee of the Pnds, Fourmakoye Gado. This follows the arrests of the Minister of the Interior and Decentralization, Hama Amadou Souleyby the Minister of Transport, Oumarou Malam Almaand of the deputy and former defense minister, Calla Moutari“said the party. The arrests come at a time when the new junta has issued a statement inviting “all former ministers and directors of institutions to return all the official vehicles placed at their disposal to the various ministerial departments and directorates” by Monday. Plus the coup plotters have banned the export of gold and uranium to France.
Meanwhile, the United States let it be known that they are on the side of Ecowas “in the defend the constitutional order in Nigeria. The legitimate and democratically elected government must be reinstated immediately.” The same position was made explicit by Bruxelleswith the EU High Representative for Foreign Policy, Joseph Borrell: “The EU supports all the measures adopted by Ecowas as a reaction to the coup d’état that took place in Niger and will support them swiftly and decisively,” he wrote in a tweet. “It is important that the popular will expressed through the elections is respected.” The Italian defense minister also spoke on the situation on Monday Guido Crosetto, who discouraged any type of Western military action: “An intervention carried out by white Europeans to go and affect something internally would in my opinion risk having explosive effects. You walk on eggshells and every act you have to evaluate it three times for what the effect may be. It’s okay to keep the European contingents so that the situation doesn’t explode and become a bloody war, but it’s time to think: we have wounds in the world that arise from unreasonable accelerations. In my opinion the situation can be recovered without too harsh interventions. There are still too many elements to judge to move, otherwise we risk being cowboysin the saloon in that part of Africa we cannot afford any more earthquakes”.
However, the first country to take concrete measures against Niger is Germania who announced that he “suspended last week all the payments to local government. This morning it was also decided to interrupt the bilateral development work”. Even the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, he recalled that “the EU and Niger share deep ties that have developed over decades. The unacceptable attack on the democratically elected government puts these ties at risk. I support the decisions of Ecowas and the active role of him for a speedy return to his post of President Bazoum ”. And the foreign minister, Antonio Tajani, he assured that “Italy is on the front line to face the crisis in Niger. I had telephone conversations with the EU High Representative Josep Borrell” and the French foreign minister Catherine Colonna. “We are working on a diplomatic solution to protect democracy. We constantly follow the Italians in Niger”.
The Kremlin’s position is softer, while the Russian flags they are waved by the demonstrators who took to the streets in support of the coup plotters. Moscow says it is “in favor” of the “rapid restoration of the rule of law” in Niger and “the restraint of all parties so that there are no casualties,” Putin’s spokesman said. Dmitry Peskov, expressing “grave concern” about the situation in the African country. Meanwhile, the first image of the Nigerien president, Mohamed Bazoum, deposed after the coup d’état, has been published online: the image shows him smiling and in good health during a meeting with the president of neighboring Chad, Mahamat Idriss Deby, “to explore all avenues and find a peaceful solution to the crisis”. “A military intervention by the West would be a sensational mistake, we cannot give the idea of being neo-colonizers” declared the foreign minister, Antonio Tajani.