airspace closed
Niger is preparing for “intervention” by neighboring countries
08/07/2023, 00:08
At the diplomatic level, there seems to be no agreement in Niger. The military junta does not react to an ultimatum from several West African states. There is a risk of escalation. Military intervention could destabilize the entire Sahel zone.
According to the putschists, Niger is closing its airspace with immediate effect. The military justified the step, which was valid “until further notice”, in a statement with the “danger of an intervention”, which would become clearer through “preparations” in neighboring countries.
At midnight (local time; Monday, 01:00 a.m. CEST) an ultimatum from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to the putschists will expire to allow the ousted Nigerien head of state Mohamed Bazoum to return to office – otherwise a “use of force” cannot be ruled out.
It was initially unclear when the group of states wanted to decide on their further course of action and a possible military deployment. Such an approach is controversial in the region. In addition, such a deployment of the group in Niger, a country with 26 million inhabitants and about three times the area of Germany, would be a great logistical and military challenge.
Junta fills posts
Meanwhile, the junta in Niger worked to consolidate its power. On the night of Saturday, she announced that she had filled important positions in the armed forces with her own followers. Putsch general Moussa Salao Barmou is now the new chief of the armed forces. Barmou was previously the head of the special forces. On the night of Sunday, young people joined forces in the capital Niamey to form vigilante groups, as a reporter from the German Press Agency reported. They set up traffic checkpoints at various roundabouts. The youths are said to belong to the support committees that had previously organized demonstrations in favor of the military rulers.
On July 26, officers of the Presidential Guard in Niger declared the democratically elected President Bazoum ousted. The commander of the elite unit, General Abdourahamane Tiani, subsequently proclaimed himself the new ruler. Shortly after Tiani came to power, the putschists suspended the constitution and dissolved all constitutional institutions.
Military heavyweight Nigeria puts the pressure on
An ECOWAS mediation mission had to leave Niger on Thursday without meeting the ruler Tiani. Algeria’s President Abdelmadjid Tebboune warned at the weekend that military intervention in Niger could destabilize the entire Sahel zone, according to the newspaper El-Bilad and the news site Ennahar. Tebboune therefore strictly ruled out Algeria’s participation in a military intervention. Algeria – Niger’s northern neighbor – is not a member of ECOWAS and is not bound by the ultimatum of the group of states. Niger’s southern neighbor, the economic and military heavyweight Nigeria, seems to be pushing for decisive action against the putschists under President Bola Tinubu.
Despite the worsening of the situation, according to French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna, a withdrawal of French soldiers from Niger is not on the agenda. The international community is trying to persuade the junta to give in, she told radio station France Info. She warned those in power in Niger to take the ECOWAS threat seriously. The new junta terminated military cooperation with the former colonial power on Thursday. France still has around 1,500 soldiers stationed there. The United States has around 1,000 soldiers on site, and the Bundeswehr has around 100. Niger, one of the poorest countries in the world, has so far been an important partner for Western governments in the fight against Islamist terrorism in the Sahel zone.
Colonna’s warning about the actions of ECOWAS is not unfounded. The group has set up military intervention troops several times in the past. The group last intervened in The Gambia in 2017 when President Yahya Jammeh refused to relinquish power. However, military ECOWAS operations have so far always been carried out at the invitation of the government concerned.