The African Union (AU) has demanded that Niger’s military “return to their barracks and restore constitutional authority” within 15 days as the European Union (EU) intensified pressure on the coup leaders on Saturday by suspending security cooperation with the jihadist-hit country.
Head of the Presidential Guard since 2011, General Abdourahamane Tiani appeared on state television on Friday to declare himself the country’s new leader.
His forces have confined democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum to his official residence in the capital Niamey since Wednesday, in a putsch Tiani presented as a response to “the degradation of the security situation” linked to jihadist bloodshed.
Nigerian leader, President Bola Tinubu, who is the Chairman of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of the Economic Community of West African States has scheduled a special meeting of the regional leaders for today in Abuja. He had earlier dispatched his counterpart in the Benin Republic, Patrice Talon to Niger Republic.
The AU and the EU joined the chorus of international condemnation of the power grab, the latest to strike the Sahel region.
Niger’s neighbours, Mali and Burkina Faso have both undergone two military coups since 2020, fuelled by anger at a failure to quash long-running insurgencies by jihadists linked to the Islamic State group and Al-Qaeda.
The AU’s Peace and Security Council “demands the military personnel to immediately and unconditionally return to their barracks and restore constitutional authority, within a maximum period of fifteen (15) days”, it said in a communique following a meeting Friday on the coup.
It “condemns in the strongest terms possible” the overthrow of the elected government and expressed deep concern over the “alarming resurgence” of military coups in Africa.
On Saturday, EU’s diplomatic chief Josep Borrell said the bloc would not recognise the putschists and announced the suspension of security cooperation with Niger.
“The European Union does not recognise and will not recognise the authorities from the putsch in Niger,” Borrell said in a statement.
“All cooperation in the security field is suspended indefinitely with immediate effect” in addition to the end to budgetary aid, he added.
