|
LISTEN TO THIS THE AFRICANA VOICE ARTICLE NOW
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Niger’s Coup Leaders Close Airspace, Threaten War
Niger’s coup leaders closed the country’s airspace on Monday, citing the threat of military intervention from their neighbors. Flight tracking website Flightradar24 shows that there are currently no aircraft in Niger’s skies.
The West African bloc Ecowas had earlier warned that it could use force if President Mohamed Bazoum was not reinstated by 23:00 GMT on Sunday. A junta spokesman said Niger’s armed forces are ready to defend the country.
Bazoum was detained on July 26, and Gen. Abdourahmane Tchiani, commander of the presidential guard, later proclaimed himself the new leader. The military takeover has been internationally condemned, including by former colonial power France and the rest of the European Union, as well as the United Nations and the United States.
In a statement on national television on Sunday, the representative from Niger’s junta said they had information that “a foreign power” was preparing to attack Niger. After a crisis meeting in Nigeria, Ecowas military chiefs said on Friday that they had drawn up a detailed plan for the possible use of force.
“All the elements that will go into any eventual intervention have been worked out here, including the resources needed, the how and when we are going to deploy the force,” said Abdel-Fatau Musah, Ecowas commissioner for political affairs, peace and security.
He added, “We want diplomacy to work, and we want this message clearly transmitted to them [Niger’s junta] that we are giving them every opportunity to reverse what they have done.”
The coup leaders seem to be showing no sign of willingness to cede power, and on Sunday thousands of their supporters rallied defiantly at a stadium in Niger’s capital Niamey.
On Thursday, the US and the United Nations expressed concern about Bazoum’s health. “We are greatly worried about his health and his personal safety and the personal safety of his family,” a US state department spokesman said. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said he was concerned about the reportedly “deplorable living conditions” Mr Bazoum and his family were in.
On Friday, the African Union expressed “deep concern at the reported poor conditions” of Bazoum’s detention. It said such treatment of a democratically elected president at the hands of the coup leaders is “unacceptable”.
In a statement, AU Commission head Moussa Faki Mahamat called for the military leaders in Niger to urgently stop the escalation of relations with the regional organisation Ecowas.
He called for the immediate release of the deposed president while urging for the international community to “unite efforts to save [his] moral and physical integrity”.
Two of Niger’s neighbors, Burkina Faso and Mali, earlier warned that they would treat any outside military intervention in Niger as “a declaration of war” against them. Burkina Faso and Mali are both Ecowas members but have been suspended from the bloc since being taken over by the military.
Niger Junta Names Former Finance Minister as New Prime Minister
Niger’s junta leader, Gen. Abdourahmane Tchiani, Monday night appointed a former finance minister, Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine, as the country’s new prime minister.
Zeine, who is in his 50s, served as cabinet director and finance minister from 2001 to 2010, when the late former President Mamadou Tandja was overthrown by the army. He has since worked for the African Development Bank in Chad, Ivory Coast, and Gabon.
The junta also announced a number of other appointments on Monday. Brig. Gen. Amadou Didilli was named head of the country’s High Authority for Peace Consolidation (HACP), Brig. Gen. Abou Tague Mahamadou was appointed inspector general of the army and the national gendarmerie, Col. Ibro Amadou Bachirou was named private chief of staff to the junta leader, and Lt. Col. Habibou Assoumane was named commander of the presidential guard.
The appointments come two weeks after the junta seized power in a coup d’état.
Nigerian Lawmakers Oppose Military Intervention in Niger Coup
Nigerian President Bola Tinubu is facing a backlash at home for his threat to use military force to reverse the coup in Niger.
Lawmakers from states along the 1,500km border with Niger, as well as people from all over the country, have condemned the possibility of war.
Ecowas, the West African regional bloc, had set a deadline of Sunday for the junta to give up power or face possible military action. This decision was seen as being largely driven by Tinubu, who is Ecowas’ current chairman and Nigeria’s most influential leader.
However, Ecowas did not immediately send troops after the junta defied the ultimatum. This was a relief to many Nigerians who prefer a diplomatic resolution to the crisis.
Some people question whether a seven-day deadline was realistic, given that Nigeria and other countries need parliamentary approval before deploying the military.
Others are appalled that Tinubu ordered electricity to Niger to be cut, causing blackouts in Niger’s capital, Niamey, and other cities. Critics claim that this is in violation of a treaty that had enabled Nigeria to build a dam on the River Niger. Tinubu’s supporters say the power cuts are aimed at pressuring the junta to hand back power to ousted President Mohamed Bazoum, without military confrontation.
Nigeria and Niger share strong ethnic, economic, and cultural ties. Any military intervention against Niger would affect northern Nigeria, which is already facing serious security challenges of its own.
An influential group of Muslim clerics in northern Nigeria has urged Tinubu not to “rush into an avoidable conflict with a neighbour at the behest of global politicking.”
Israel Acts to Protect Citizens, Ethiopian Jews in Ethiopia
Israel has evacuated over 200 of its citizens and Ethiopian Jews from two cities in the Amhara region, which has been affected by recent violence. The evacuees were flown to the country’s capital, Addis Ababa, where they will remain until they can be safely transported to Israel.
Amhara is home to thousands of members of the Jewish community, who have been caught up in the recent violence. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had directed the evacuees to be moved out of combat areas for their safety.
Relative calm has returned to the biggest cities in the Amhara region, but there are still reports of fighting in some smaller towns and rural districts. The army has regained control in key regions, but local militias remain in charge in some areas.
The United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand have expressed concerns over the deteriorating security situation in Ethiopia. A joint statement released on Friday said that recent violence in the Amhara and Oromia regions had resulted in civilian deaths and instability.
The UN’s Commission of Human Rights Experts on Ethiopia has also expressed concern about the recent violence. The Commission called on the government to adhere to the principles of necessity, proportionality, and non-discrimination in implementing the state of emergency declared in connection with the violence.
The fighting in the Amhara region of Ethiopia began in August 2023, following months of tensions between local militiamen and federal forces. The fighting is the latest chapter in Ethiopia’s long history of conflict, and it has raised concerns about the stability of the country as a whole.
The roots of the conflict can be traced back to the 2020 Tigray War, in which the Ethiopian federal government and its allies defeated the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF). The TPLF had been the ruling party in Tigray for decades, and its defeat led to a power vacuum in the region. This vacuum was filled by local militiamen, who began to assert their control over territory that had previously been under TPLF control.
In April 2023, the federal government announced that it was disbanding all regional security forces across Ethiopia. This move was seen as a threat by Amhara nationalists, who feared that it would weaken their region. Protests broke out in Amhara, and the Fano militia, a group of Amhara nationalists, began to clash with federal forces.
The fighting intensified in August 2023, when Fano fighters took control of several towns in Amhara. The government responded by declaring a state of emergency in the region. The fighting has continued since then, and it has displaced thousands of people
LEAVE A COMMENT
You must be logged in to post a comment.