French Foreign Minister, Catherine Colonna, emphasized on Friday that the coup in Niger is not “final” yet, hoping the coup plotters who have detained the country’s president will respond to international calls to return to democratic governance.
Colonna stated, “If you hear me speaking of an attempted coup, it’s because we don’t consider things final, and there’s still an exit if the officials responsible for this attempt listen to the international community.”
Colonna announced on Friday that Niger’s president, Mohamed Bazoum, is “in good health”, even though the coup planners are holding him at his headquarters. She said that Bazoum had spoken to French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday. She added, “He can be reached, and he also said that he’s in good health.”
French President Emmanuel Macron deemed the coup in Niger “dangerous” for the Sahel region, at a time when major Western countries are striving to maintain a key ally in a region witnessing insurgent activities.
Macron stated that “this coup is wholly illegitimate and very dangerous, for Nigeriens, Niger, and the entire region,” simultaneously calling for the release of President Mohamed Bazoum. French and international forces have been forced to withdraw from neighboring Mali in recent years, but Paris still deploys 1,500 soldiers in Niger. The overthrow of Bazoum jeopardizes the future of that deployment.
Macron was speaking during a visit to Papua New Guinea and stressed the necessity of reestablishing constitutional order. He pledged support for regional groups such as the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), in mediation efforts or imposing sanctions against the coup leaders.
The United Nations has announced a “suspension” of its humanitarian operations in Niger due to the coup against the regime of President Mohamed Bazoum, who has been detained by members of the Presidential Guard for more than 24 hours. Meanwhile, the military council urged its supporters to remain calm after incidents during their demonstrations. The coup leaders announced a “suspension of political party activities until further notice.”
Meanwhile, the UN spokesman, Stéphane Dujarric, announced on Thursday the “suspension” of the organization’s humanitarian operations in Niger due to the coup. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that the number of people in Niger requiring humanitarian aid has increased from 1.9 million in 2017 to 4.3 million in 2023.
Niger’s allies have condemned the coup. Burkina Faso, managed by a transitional government resulting from a coup, expressed its desire for “closer cooperation” with Niger.
After Mali and Burkina Faso, Niger has become the third country in the Sahel region to witness a coup since 2020, while it’s being undermined by attacks from groups associated with ISIS and Al-Qaeda.
Earlier on Thursday, Bazoum stated in a message through the “X” service, formerly known as “Twitter”, “The achievements made after a long struggle will be preserved. All sons of Niger who love democracy and freedom will ensure that.”
This comes just hours after coup plotters announced on national television that they had overthrown the democratically elected president in 2021.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres considers the coup in Niger a new example of the “worrisome trend” in the Sahel region, which has witnessed many “unconstitutional changes” to governments mainly affected by “violent extremism.”
