Niger Coup: General Leading The Mutiny Declared Head Of State, President Mohamed Bazoum Remains In Detention

The rebellious military personnel in Niger on Friday declared their military leader as the new head of state. 

Earlier on Wednesday, the military in Niger detained the country's first and only democratically-elected president since 1960. President Mohamed Bazoum has been in detention since then.

Niger's new leader General Abdourahmane Tchiani, who was announced on state television by spokesman Col. Maj. Amadou Abdramane, has asked for the national and international support amid concerns that the coup could hinder the country's fight against jihadists. 

Tchiani said, “We can no longer continue with the same approaches proposed so far, at the risk of witnessing the gradual and inevitable demise of our country. That is why we decided to intervene and take responsibility...I ask the technical and financial partners who are friends of Niger to understand the specific situation of our country in order to provide it with all the support necessary to enable it to meet the challenges."

Since Bazoum was overthrown on Wednesday, various factions of Niger's military have reportedly wrangled for control, reported Associated Press (AP).

Niger is seen as the last reliable partner for the West in efforts to battle jihadists linked to Al Qaida and ISIS in Africa's Sahel region, where Russia and Western countries have vied for influence in the fight against extremism, notes AP, adding that France has 1,500 soldiers in the country who conduct joint operations with the Nigeriens, and the United States and other European countries have helped train the nation's troops.

The coup sparked international condemnation. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called for the immediate release of Bazoum and the restoration of democratic order in the Niger. 

The AP reported that West African regional group ECOWAS, which includes Niger and has taken the lead in trying to restore democratic rule in the country, scheduled an emergency summit in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, on Sunday. The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) also held emergency closed consultations Friday morning. Britain's deputy U.N. Ambassador James Kariuki, who chaired the meeting, told reporters afterward that all 15 members condemned the military's action and expressed “the need to restore constitutional democracy." 

Blinken said a US economic and security partnership with Niger, worth hundreds of millions of dollars, depends on the continuation of the democratic governance and constitutional order, which has been disrupted in the last few days, reported Reuters. 

"So that assistance is in clear jeopardy as a result of these actions, which is another reason why they need to be immediately reversed," said Blinken.

It is feared that the fight against jihadists, which have emerged as a major force in the Sahel region, could be affected after the coup. The AP reported, "Extremists in Niger have carried out attacks on civilians and military personnel, but the overall security situation is not as dire as in neighboring Mali and Burkina Faso — both of which have ousted the French military."

There are also fears that Russia could expand its influence in the country under military rule. The AP said that before the coup, Russian mercenary group Wagner Group already had its sights set on Niger, in part because it's a large producer of uranium.

The mutinous soldiers, who call themselves the National Council for the Safeguarding of the Country, accused some prominent dignitaries of collaborating with foreign embassies to “extract” the deposed leaders, reported AP, adding that they said it could lead to violence and warned against foreign military intervention.

Bazoum has not resigned and he defiantly tweeted from detention on Thursday that democracy would prevail, reported AP.

It's not clear who enjoys majority support, but the streets of the capital of Niamey were calm Friday, with a slight celebratory air, reported AP, noting that some cars honked in solidarity at security forces as they drove by but it was not clear if that meant they backed the coup. 

A day earlier, several hundred people gathered in the city chanting support for Wagner while waving Russian flags, reported AP. “We're fed up,” said Omar Issaka, one of the protestors. “We are tired of being targeted by the men in the bush. ... We're going to collaborate with Russia now.”

Tchiani's criticism of Bazoum's approach and of how security partnerships have worked in the past will certainly make the U.S., France, and the EU uneasy, said Andrew Lebovich, a research fellow with the Clingendael Institute, to AP.

“So that could mark potentially some shifts moving forward in Niger security partnerships,” he said.

This is Niger's fifth coup overall and is also the latest in the series of coups in Africa. There has been a noted rise in the number of coups in the region. 

Niger's army has always been very powerful and civilian-military relations have been fraught, though tensions had increased recently, especially with the growing jihadist insurgency, said Karim Manuel to AP, an analyst for the Middle East and Africa with the Economist Intelligence Unit.