Niger coup highlights deep-rooted instability throughout region

By Linda Bordoni

The military takeover in Niger started on Wednesday when presidential guards seized democratically elected President, Mohamed Bazoum, who is reportedly in good health but still held captive by them.

Addressing the nation in a televised address, General Tchiani said his junta took over because of what he said are unaddressed problems in Niger, including insecurity, economic downfall and corruption.

Speaking to Vatican Radio, Comboni missionary Fr Giulio Albanese warned that what is happening in Niger is symptomatic of deep-rooted instability throughout the entire Sahel region.

Niger’s coup is the latest in a wave of takeovers that have hit the West African region in recent years, toppling governments in Mali, Guinea and Burkina Faso.

The Sahel region, which stretches across the African continent just south of the Sahara, is experiencing severe socio-political challenges due to the climate crisis, instability due to terrorist cells, massive migration and the effects of colonialism.

Instability calls European policies into question

The coup in Niger, a former French colony,  Fr Albanese explains, highlights the fallout of these issues and calls Europe, its colonial history and migration policies into question.

“We must not forget,” he adds, “that Niger is a country that has always had a strong French military presence” and is widely considered a Western ally against Al Qaeda, Islamic State and Boko Haram. At the same time, he explains, Europe’s migration policies directed at blocking and turning back refugees, cannot be ignored as part of the problem.

The missionary says he believes that European leaders have the duty to review their policies and agreements, especially those concerning the Sahel region “and establish an innovative approach that bears in mind reciprocal interests.”

Father Albanese even raises the possibility that what is currently happening in Niger may even be one of the consequences of the war in Eastern Europe.

“Think of what happened in Mali,” he continues, “where a military junta continues to control the country thanks to the support of the Wagner Group, a Russian mercenary outfit led by Yevgeny Prigozhin, or in Burkina Faso“, where two coups in a year have seen the ousting of a second military leader who was criticised for working together with former colonizer, France, to root out armed groups, as anti-France sentiment continues to rise in all former colonies.

France's role

For France meanwhile, the coup marks another setback to its ties in the region, only months after French troops had to withdraw from Burkina Faso and Mali effectively ending the anti-insurgent Barkhane Operation.

The former colonizer had deployed an extra 1,500 French soldiers in Niger it eyed as a “laboratory “ for a new kind of military relationship based on equal-footing cooperation between France and African governments.

Widespread condemnation by International organizations

The coup has been condemned by international bodies including the African Union, West African regional bloc (Ecowas), the EU and the UN.