On Wednesday, world leaders reacted to an apparent coup attempt in Niger, as President Mohamed Bazoum was seized by the Presidential Guard in Niamey.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he spoke with the Nigerien president “earlier this morning and made clear that the United States resolutely supports him as the democratically elected president of Niger. We call for his immediate release.” Blinken was speaking at a joint press conference in New Zealand during a two-day visit.
On Wednesday, Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, the new head of the regional organization ECOWAS, announced that Benin’s President Patrice Talon would travel to Niger on a mediation mission. Talon was in Abuja for a meeting with Nigeria’s president. It is uncertain whether he will act as a mediator for ECOWAS or Tinubu himself.
Speaking before his departure, Talon said, “All means will be used, if necessary, to restore constitutional order in Niger, but ideally everything should happen in peace and harmony.”
“The situation is worrying enough that ECOWAS and President Tinubu, the President of Nigeria, a neighbour of Niger, with Benin, also a neighbour of Niger, take it seriously and want to act quickly,” Talon added.
Tinubu, who was elected to chair ECOWAS in July, has advocated for the restoration of democracy in West African countries ruled by military rulers. Since 2020, the 15-member union has witnessed five coups in three of its member countries.
“Without democracy there’s no governance, there’s no freedom, there’s no rule of law. We will not allow coup after coup in West Africa sub-region,” Tinubu said in July.