Amrutha Avasarala, Pune
Gen. Abdourahamane Tchiani of the Niger military declared himself as the new leader of Niger on Friday. Niger’s President, Mohamed Bazoum, was detained by the presidential guards in a coup on Wednesday. The military accounts for the deteriorating security conditions and bad governance as the reason behind this takeover.
Colonel Major Amadou Abdramane, along with nine other soldiers, declared on national television that national institutions have been suspended and borders closed for people entering or leaving the country either by land or air. “We have decided to put an end to the regime that you know,” he said, referring to a deteriorating security situation in the country, and “poor economic and social governance.” He also asked foreign nations to not interfere in the domestic affairs of Niger.
Niger’s private newspaper- L’Enqueteur stated that the coup sprouted after Mr. Bazoum tried to remove Gen. Abdourahamane Tchiani as the commander of the Presidential Guard.
As the news spread, protests broke out in the capital city of Niamey. People headed toward the presidential palace as a result of which guards fired guns to warn and threaten the public to maintain calm.
The coup created a split in the citizens of Niger. One part was greatly upset about the coup and protested near the Presidential Palace while the other group supported the coup and proceeded to the ruling party’s headquarters and set it on fire. The police fired tear gas at the protestors to calm down the situation. “I hope they will install good security in the city and help us to achieve better conditions because we have good resources. I don’t care if they just want to follow Burkina Faso or Mali,” Djibo, a supporter of the coup, told the BBC.
United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres said he “strongly condemns… the unconstitutional change of government in Niger” and called for “an immediate end to all actions undermining democratic principles in Niger.” He also asked for the immediate release of the president Mr. Bazoum.
Since Niger’s independence in 1960, there has been a series of coups and republics. This is the seventh coup that has taken place. Mr. Bazoum is the first president of Niger to whom the power has been transferred in a democratic manner in 2021. There are several challenges to the nation already existing such as Jihad insurgencies, desertification, droughts, low literacy rate, high fertility rate, and growing population and the nation highly depends upon foreign aid to run the economy. The unexpected coup further destabilized the nation.