When a military coup deposed Niger's elected President Mohammed Bazoum nearly two weeks ago, neighboring nations were alarmed at the fall of one of the region's few democratic governments. The junta, led by a group of Niger's military leaders, has just requested support from Russia's mercenary group Wagner, which is already operating in neighboring Mali. The regional association of ECOWAS, comprising such nations as Nigeria, Senegal, Ghana and the Ivory Coast, warned the military junta to return President Bazoum to office by midnight their time yesterday, or face possible military action. Earlier today, Niger closed its airspace in anticipation of a strike, which is unlikely to happen soon. The Associated Press reports on the tense situation:
"West Africa’s regional bloc says heads of state will meet Thursday to discuss their next steps after Niger’s military junta defied the bloc’s deadline to reinstate the country’s ousted president while its mutinous soldiers closed the country’s airspace and accused foreign powers of preparing an attack.
State television reported the junta’s latest actions Sunday night, hours before the deadline set by regional bloc ECOWAS, which has warned of using military force if the democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum isn’t returned to power."
Niger, a former French colony, had been a key partner in fighting anti-jihadist / anti-Islamic State groups in the Sahel region, with both the U.S. and France stationing troops there. It's also one of the leading producers of uranium, something that the Russian Wagner forces acting for the Kremlin are well aware of. Russia has been expanding its influence in the region in countries like Mali and the Central African Republic through economic bribery and by Wagner forces underpinning military juntas in those and other countries. The AP story continues:
"The junta does not appear interested in negotiation. An ECOWAS delegation sent to Niger last week for hours of talks was not allowed to leave the airport and met only with Tchiani’s representatives. The junta has also asked for help from the Russian mercenary group Wagner, which operates in a handful of African countries including Mali, according to according to Wassim Nasr, a journalist and senior research fellow at the Soufan Center.
Since the coup, extremists have been ecstatic as they’re able to move around more freely without fear of attack, Boubacar Moussa, a former jihadi fighter, told the AP. He had joined a nationwide program that encourages fighters to defect and reintegrate into society. The program’s fate is unclear." (our emphasis)
Russia's agenda for the region is becoming more evident, attempting to disrupt democratic governments in the Sahel region while using their mercenaries to cover the extraction of minerals. While a peaceful return of President Bazoum to power would be preferred, it's increasingly unlikely that the illegitimate junta will allow that without force being applied.
(photo: Niger demonstrators display Russian flag. Sam Mednick / AP)
