Led by a military junta since last month’s coup, Niger has found itself suspended from the African Union, effective immediately. As a result, Niger will lose its right to vote in the AU and can no longer participate in the organization’s committees or working groups.
The African Union is a confederation of African states whose mission comprises defending the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and independence of African countries, eradicating colonialism, and improving life for the peoples of Africa.
In a Tuesday, August 22nd communiqué, the AU Peace and Security Council said it had decided to suspend Niger during an August 14th meeting. The suspension would be in force until the effective restoration of constitutional order in the country, it said.
The Council called upon all 54 AU member states and the international community to reject the unconstitutional change of government in Niger and “refrain from any action likely to grant legitimacy to the illegal regime.”
The continental body threatened sanctions and other punitive measures against
members of the military junta [led by General Abdourahamane Tiani] and their military and civilian supporters of the coup d’état in Niger, including those involved in the violation of fundamental human rights of President Bazoum and other detainees.
Since the coup, Bazoum, together with his wife and son, has been held under house arrest.
The Council urged the military junta to immediately and unconditionally return to its barracks and submit to civilian authorities consistent with the constitution of Niger.
The union also warned non-African countries that they should refrain from interfering—a possible reference to the Russian mercenary group Wagner, which currently provides security in neighboring Mali.
On Monday, Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, sporting combat fatigues and brandishing an assault rifle, applauded Niger’s coup in a recruitment video (his first since his own mutiny met with failure) as he called for ‘strongmen’ to support Wagner’s activities on the continent.
The union further stated it had merely “taken note” of the steps taken by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to possibly intervene militarily, which might indicate the bloc’s lack of consensus on the matter.
Last week, after a more than ten-hour meeting, the AU rejected any use of force to unseat the junta.
ECOWAS has put forces on standby, should attempts to end the coup by diplomatic means come to nothing. The AU wants to find out what impact a deployment of these forces would have on the economy, society, and security.
On Tuesday, ECOWAS mediator Abdulsalami Abubakar, a former general of Nigeria, said a weekend visit to Niger’s capital of Niamey had been “very fruitful” and that he still had hope for a peaceful resolution.
“Nobody wants to go to war,” he told reporters in Abuja after briefing ECOWAS chairman and Nigerian President Bola Tinubu on his mission.
During his Niger visit, Abubakar also met with President Mohamed Bazoum, who was reportedly not receiving adequate health care.
The ECOWAS Parliament is against sending in troops, said Ali Ndume, another representative from Nigeria.
“Our stand is informed by the grave implications of a military intervention in Niger. (There is) no alternative to a diplomatic solution,” he told journalists in Abuja on Tuesday.
Should diplomacy fail, and ECOWAS (despite its hard stance on the coup) not respond militarily, its authority could be threatened, which could encourage further turmoil. Since 2020, seven coups have occurred in West and Central Africa alone, with Niger’s being the latest.
Considered an important ally by the West in its fight against Islamist groups active in the Sahel region and, more importantly, a major exporter of uranium for France and the EU, Niger currently appears at risk of being to be drawn into Russia’s ambit.
