Niamey
In the African country of Niger, the army has overthrown the government of President Mohamed Bazoum in a coup. Commander of the Presidential Guard, General Abdurrahman Tiani, has declared himself the leader of the country. The coup was condemned by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), including several countries, and ECOWAS called for the early release of the democratically elected President Mohamed Bajoum, failing which he threatened to use force.
While the deadline for the release of President Mohamed Bazoum, which was set for Sunday, has passed, tensions have risen in Niger as to what will happen next. Meanwhile, Niger’s new military leaders have said they will not bow to outside pressure to step down. Military leaders claimed they removed the president to fight jihadist insurgents and curb corruption.
According to one report, on Sunday some 30,000 supporters of the coup gathered at a stadium in the capital Niamey for a rally, which was attended by junta leader General Abdurrahman Tchiyani and addressed the crowd, saying he was ready to bow down to external pressure to step down. Will not budge and has reportedly sought assistance from the Russian mercenary group Wagner. Please tell that people in Niger had raised slogans of Putin Zindabad.
The Economic Community of West African States is a regional political and economic union of fifteen countries located in West Africa. ECOWAS also serves as a peacekeeping force in the African region, with member states occasionally sending joint military forces to intervene in the bloc’s member states during times of political instability and unrest.
While some citizens in Niger are cheering the coup leaders, others fear what may happen next. According to the report, people in Niamey say they hope talks will take place to avoid any further conflict. Economic sanctions imposed by many countries since the coup are making life difficult for citizens, with prices of basic foods such as rice and vegetables rising sharply. And a Niamey resident Mohammad Noali said that we want peace, no aggression by foreign countries against any other country. The only problem for us is to meet the cost of food. Therefore, if there is a war it will not lead to any good.
