West Africa threatens force on Niger coup leaders, French embassy attacked By Reuters

By Boureima Balima and Felix Onuah

NIAMEY/ABUJA (Reuters) -West African nations imposed sanctions and threatened pressure on Sunday if Niger’s coup leaders fail to reinstate ousted President Mohammed Bazoum inside every week, whereas supporters of the junta attacked the French embassy in Niamey.

The 15-nation ECOWAS bloc’s response to the Sahel area’s seventh coup of latest years got here as crowds in Niger’s capital Niamey burned French flags and stoned the previous colonial energy’s mission, drawing tear gasoline from police.

Photographs confirmed fires on the embassy partitions and other people being loaded into ambulances with bloodied legs.

At an emergency summit in Nigeria to debate final week’s coup, leaders of the Financial Group of West African States known as for constitutional order to be restored, warning of reprisals if not.

“Such measures might embody the usage of pressure,” their communique mentioned, including that defence officers would meet instantly to that impact.

Chad’s President Mahamat Idriss Deby, who got here to energy in 2021 after a coup, met his Nigerian counterpart Bola Tinubu on the sidelines of the summit and volunteered to talk to the navy leaders in Niger, two presidential aides instructed Reuters, asking to not be recognized.

Niger’s state TV confirmed Deby arriving and assembly them.

ECOWAS and the eight-member West African Financial and Financial Union mentioned that with fast impact borders with Niger can be closed, industrial flights banned, monetary transactions halted, nationwide property frozen and help ended.

Army officers concerned within the coup can be banned from travelling and have their property frozen, it added.

Niger’s prime minister beneath Bazoum’s authorities, Ouhoumoudou Mahamadou, mentioned ECOWAS sanctions can be disastrous as a result of the nation depends closely on worldwide companions to cowl its budgetary wants.

“I do know the fragility of Niger, I do know the financial and monetary context of Niger having been the finance minister and now prime minister,” Mahamadou, who was overseas when the coup occurred, instructed France24 tv from Paris.

“It is a nation that will be unable to withstand these sorts of sanctions. Will probably be catastrophic.”

CAN SANCTIONS WORK?

Related sanctions have been imposed by ECOWAS on Mali, Burkina Faso and Guinea following coups in these nations prior to now three years.

Though the monetary sanctions led to defaults on debt – in Mali particularly – such measures have tended to harm civilians greater than the navy leaders who seized energy in among the world’s poorest nations, political analysts say. Timelines to revive civilian rule have been agreed in all three nations, however there was little progress implementing them.

The navy coup in Niger, which started unfolding on Wednesday, has been broadly condemned by neighbours and worldwide companions together with the US, the United Nations, the African Union, the European Union and former colonial energy France.

They’ve all refused to recognise the brand new leaders led by Basic Abdourahamane Tiani.

Niger has been a key ally in Western campaigns towards insurgents linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State within the Sahel, and there are issues that the coup might open the door to larger Russian affect there. 1000’s of French troops have been compelled to withdraw from neighbouring Mali and Burkina Faso following coups there.

Niger is likely one of the poorest nations on the earth, receiving near $2 billion a yr in official improvement help, in line with the World Financial institution.

The USA, France, Italy and Germany have troops there on navy coaching and missions to battle Islamist insurgents. Niger can be the world’s seventh-biggest producer of uranium, the radioactive steel broadly used for nuclear power and in nuclear weapons, in addition to for treating most cancers.

Forward of the summit, Niger’s junta had warned that ECOWAS was contemplating an imminent navy intervention in collaboration with different African and a few Western nations.

“We wish to as soon as extra remind ECOWAS or every other adventurer, of our agency willpower to defend our homeland,” junta spokesperson Colonel Amadou Abdramane mentioned.

‘COUP ERA MUST STOP’

At their invitation, hundreds of individuals rallied within the capital on Sunday, some heading to France’s embassy.

“We’re right here to precise our discontent towards France’s interference in Niger’s affairs. Niger is an impartial and sovereign nation, so France’s choices haven’t any affect on us,” mentioned protester Sani Idrissa.

Just like occasions in neighbouring Burkina Faso in September final yr following a coup, some protesters tried to climb the embassy partitions, whereas others stomped on burning French flags.

They have been dispersed by Niger nationwide guard.

France condemned the violence and mentioned anybody attacking its nationals or pursuits would face a swift and stern response.

“The period of coups d’etat in Africa should cease. They aren’t acceptable,” French international minister Catherine Colonna Catherine Colonna instructed RTL radio, including that the scenario had calmed by the afternoon and no evacuation of French residents was deliberate.

The European Union and France have reduce off monetary help to Niger and the US has threatened to do the identical.

Sunday’s ECOWAS communique thanked nations in step with the bloc’s stance however “condemned the pronouncement of help by international governments and international non-public navy contractors.”

Russia’s Wagner mercenary boss Yevgeny Prigozhin, who stays energetic regardless of main a failed mutiny towards the Russian military’s prime brass final month, has hailed the coup as excellent news and provided his fighters’ providers to carry order.