This August 6 is the last day of the deadline to return power to Nigerian President Mohamed Bazoum. Date given by ECOWAS to the military junta responsible for the coup, on July 26, in Niger. International pressure on the coup plotters is increasing and so is the price of some food, as a consequence of the blockade of Niger by neighboring countries.
The Economic Community of West African States (Cedeao, for its acronym in English), on July 30, sentenced a possible military intervention in Niger, if the military junta, responsible for the coup in Niger, does not return power to the democratically elected president Mohamed Bazoum, locked up in the Presidential Palace, since July 26. The deadline for this purpose expires today, August 6.
The Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security of ECOWAS, Abdel-Fatau Musah, He assured that if the expected result is not obtained, the intervention plan, the decision of when and where to attack will be made by the heads of state of the 15 member countries of the organization, without providing details to the coup leaders.
Other ECOWAS sanctions on Niger have led to power cuts and increased prices for basic foods.
Despite this, the coup leader, General Abdourahamane Tiani, has given no sign of withdrawing or turning the tide of the coup.
The junta, led by Tiani, assures that insecurity, which persists in the country, is one of the most important reasons to justify the abrupt seizure of power. However, other countries, where military juntas have seized power, have shown an increase in violence, for example in Burkina Faso, as the UN Refugee Agency stressed in July of this year.
Meanwhile, in Niamey, the capital of Niger, calm prevails among the citizens. Weddings and celebrations, which generally take place on weekends in the country, have taken place regularly during this weekend.
In parallel, about 100 people organized a patrol near an air base in Niamey, pledging to show nonviolent resistance in support of the current military administration, if necessary.
Niger, protagonist on the international scene
The country, a member of the Sahel region, the fifth poorest country in the world, according to the UN Refugee Agency, with a poverty rate of 50.6% (as of 2018), at the same time it is considered strategic for a large part of Western countries and for China, thanks to its wealth of uranium and oil, which is why it plays an important role in the mineral trade.
In addition, Niger has generated international concern given the terrorist threat posed by extremist groups such as Al Qaeda and the Islamic State, which are fighting over African territories. Despite this, before the coup, his government represented the force of democracy in the area.
As a former French colony, Niger hosts between 1,000 and 1,500 French soldiers on its territory, along with drones and planes, whose purpose is to deal with potential terrorist threats. He The French government has said it will support a military intervention in the West African country if necessary. Germany, the United States and Italy also have military forces there.
However, Algeria ruled on the situation this Saturday and stated that it opposes any military intervention in Niger, according to Ennahar Tv, which quoted the Algerian president Abdelmadjid Tebboune.
The neighboring juntas of Burkina Faso and Mali have also said they are against any military intervention, but warn that if it were to be presented it would be understood as a declaration of war for these countries as well.
Russia also spoke out. Last Friday he called for the return of constitutional power, despite the fact that protesters, who support the coup in Niger, waved Russian flags, last Thursday, during protests in Niamey and condemned France and ECOWAS.
Food prices respond to the crisis in Niger
According to the Reuters news agency, before the coup, about 3.3 million of Niger’s 26 million people were facing food shortages.
The situation has worsened in recent days for aSome locals, who say that rice and cooking oil have increased in price. This due to the trade sanctions imposed by neighboring West African countries on the military junta that currently rules the country.
The ECOWAS blockades pose a solid threat to Niger, whose budget is 40% dependent on foreign aid, according to Reuters.
Given this, the coup leader Tiani addressed his compatriots and asked for unity, after assuring that foreign pressure will make the coming months difficult times for Nigeriens.
For his part, President Bazaoum, in an opinion column of his authorship in the Washington Post, also referred to the situation on August 3: “andhe price of rice rose 40 percent between Sunday and Tuesday, and some neighborhoods have begun to report shortages of products and electricity,” he said.
Opinion by Mohamed Bazoum: “I write this as a hostage. This coup, launched against my government by a faction in the military on July 26, has no justification whatsoever. If it succeeds, it will have devastating consequences for our country and the world.” https://t.co/FU1i6izTDP
—The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) August 4, 2023
Other sectors of the international system have also spoken out about the crisis in the country. For example. the Paris-based International Federation for Human Rights and the Nigerien Association for the Defense of Human Rights invited ECOWAS to consider its options so as not to affect or worsen the living conditions of the locals.
“We are deeply concerned about the consequences of these sanctions, especially their impact on the supply of essential food products, pharmaceuticals, medical equipment, petroleum products and electricity,” said Sita Adamou, director of the Niger Association.
With Reuters
#Niger #deadline #reverse #coup #expires #price #food #increases