Niger is the fourth country in the Sahel to experience an anti-Western coup - eviltoast
By Vijay Prashad, Kambale Musavuli This article first appeared Aug. 1 on peoplesdispatch.org. The coup in Niger follows coups in Mali, Burkina Faso and Guinea. Each of these was led by military officers angered by the presence of French and U.S. troops and by economic crises inflicted on their co

The coup d’état was immediately condemned by the Economic Community of West African States, by the African Union, and by the European Union. Both France and the United States — which have military bases in Niger — said that they were watching the situation closely. A tussle between the Army — which claimed to be pro-Bazoum — and the presidential guard threatened the capital, but it soon fizzled out.

On July 27, General Abdou Sidikou Issa of the army released a statement saying that he would accept the situation to “avoid a deadly confrontation between the different forces which … could cause a bloodbath.”

Brigadier General Tchiani went on television on July 28 to announce that he was the new president of the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland (Conseil National pour la Sauvegarde de la Patrie or CNSP).

The coup in Niger follows similar coups in Mali (August 2020 and May 2021), Burkina Faso (January and September 2022) and Guinea (September 2021). Each of these coups was led by military officers angered by the presence of French and U.S. troops and by the permanent economic crises inflicted on their countries.