Africa

Niger: Joe Biden calls for immediate release of Bazoum

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1 year ago

August 3, 2023

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Russia Warns Nigeria, ECOWAS Against Military Invasion Of Niger

US President Joe Biden called on Thursday for the immediate release of Niger’s elected President Mohamed Bazoum and for the country’s democracy to be preserved.

“I call for President Bazoum and his family to be immediately released, and for the preservation of Niger’s hard-earned democracy,” Biden said in a statement Thursday, the 63rd anniversary of Niger’s independence.

“In this critical moment, the United States stands with the people of Niger to honor our decades-long partnership rooted in shared democratic values and support for civilian-led governance,” he said.

Bazoum, 63, was ousted a week ago by his own guard in a coup condemned by the United States, European nations and the United Nations.

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“The Nigerien people have the right to choose their leaders,” Biden said. “They have expressed their will through free and fair elections — and that must be respected.”

Bazoum was feted in 2021 after winning elections that ushered in Niger’s first peaceful transition of power.

He took the helm of a country burdened by four previous coups since independence from France in 1960.

The clock is ticking on a demand made Sunday by West African regional bloc ECOWAS for the coup leaders to restore Bazoum to power within a week or face the possible “last resort” of military intervention.

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In Another report the Russian Federation has advised the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) against military intervention in the Niger Republic in response to the coup.

The ECOWAS on Sunday, resolved to use all measures necessary to restore constitutional order in Niger, including the use of force, if its demands are not met in a week’s time.

Responding in a joint statement on Monday, Mali and Burkina Faso, West African countries suspended from ECOWAS on account of military coups, backed the actions of the Nigerien military.

The countries warned against any further interventions that would “jeopardise the spirit of Pan-Africanism” and threatened a withdrawal from the regional bloc.

The countries also said any military intervention against Niger would force them to also adopt “self-defence measures” in support of the “brotherly” armed forces and the people of Niger.

Addressing the situation on Wednesday, Maria Zakharova, spokesperson of the Russian foreign ministry, said the use of force by the ECOWAS would be unhelpful.

Zakharova said the threat of military intervention in Niger will not contribute to a settlement, adding that Moscow considers it essential to “prevent a new degradation” of the situation in the West African country.

“We think that the threat of the use of force against a sovereign state will not help to defuse tensions and resolve the situation in the country,” the spokesperson told reporters.

The Russian government official recommended “urgent national dialogue” as the way forward in restoring democracy to the unstable Western African country that has experienced five coups.

Although Russia has condemned the coup in Niger, the Wagner Group, a private mercenary group in the European country, has hailed the military takeover.

Yevgeny Prigozhin, the mercenary leader, and his fighters have played a significant role in many African states, to the dismay of the West, and most recently arrived in the Central African Republic (CAR) ahead of a constitutional referendum.

On Tuesday, Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to the Ukrainian president, accused Russia of being behind the coup in Niger.

Podolyak said it is a standard Russian tactic to divert attention and expand the conflict, adding that Prigozhin’s approval of the military takeover is proof of Russia’s involvement.