Niger loses aid as Western countries condemn coup

29 July 2023 - 14:20 By Moussa Aksar, Boureima Balima and Kate Abnett
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Gen Abdourahmane Tiani, who was declared head of state of Niger by leaders of a coup, arrives to meet ministers in Niamey, Niger, on July 28.
Gen Abdourahmane Tiani, who was declared head of state of Niger by leaders of a coup, arrives to meet ministers in Niamey, Niger, on July 28.
Image: Balima Boureima/Reuters

The EU has cut financial support to Niger and the US has threatened to do the same after military leaders this week announced they had overthrown democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum.

Niger is one of the poorest countries in the world, receiving close to $2bn (about R35bn) a year in official development assistance, according to the World Bank.

It is also a major security partner of Western countries such as France and the US, which use it as a base for their efforts to contain an Islamist insurgency in West and Central Africa's Sahel region. Previously seen as the most stable country among several unstable neighbours, Niger is the world's seventh-biggest producer of uranium.

Niger's foreign allies so far have refused to recognise the new military government led by Gen Abdourahamane Tiani, previously head of the presidential guard, who officers declared head of state on Friday.

Bazoum has not been heard from since early Thursday when he was confined within the presidential palace, though the EU, France and others say they still recognise him as the legitimate president.

“In addition to the immediate cessation of budget support, all co-operation actions in the domain of security are suspended indefinitely with immediate effect,” EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said.

Niger is a key partner of the EU in helping curb the flow of irregular migrants from Sub-Saharan Africa. The EU also has a small number of troops in Niger for a military training mission.

The EU allocated €503m (about R10bn) from its budget to improve governance, education and sustainable growth in Niger over 2021-2024, according to its website.

The US has two military bases in Niger with about 1,100 soldiers, and also provides hundreds of millions of dollars to the country in security and development aid.

“The significant assistance that we have in place for people in Niger is in jeopardy,” said US secretary of state Antony Blinken. US support depends on the continuation of democratic governance, he said.

The UN said the coup has not affected its deliveries of humanitarian aid.

It is unclear how much support the military junta has among Niger's population. Some crowds came out in support of Bazoum on Wednesday, but the following day coup supporters also took to the streets.

The Economic Community of West African States will hold an emergency summit in Nigeria on Sunday to discuss the situation.

After an emergency meeting on Friday, the AU's Peace and Security Council issued a statement demanding the military return to their barracks and restore constitutional order within 15 days. It did not say what would happen after that. 

Reuters


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