Unrest in Niger Raises New Questions About Security in West Africa
2023-07-28
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1Wednesday's attempt by military members to seize power in Niger puts the West African country's security into question.
2A group of soldiers said late Wednesday they had ousted democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum.
3Earlier Wednesday, however, the president's Twitter account released a message saying he and his family were safe.
4It said other military members planned to support the president.
5The leadership situation in Niger creates a question of what will happen to the West African country that is campaigning against religious extremism.
6Western nations, including France and the U.S., have considered Niger to be a democratic ally.
7Both countries have about 1,000 soldiers in Niger.
8The soldiers are there to support the country if it is attacked by Islamic extremist fighters.
9France has been active in the area, offering similar support to the nearby countries of Mali and Burkina Faso.
10The French soldiers, however, left Mali in late in 2022 after tensions with the country's military leadership.
11U.S. Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, visited Niger in March.
12He called the country a "model of democracy."
13Blinken announced $150 million in aid while he was there.
14The military leaders of Mali and Burkina Faso use the Russian Wagner Group for military support.
15The concern is that Niger will do something similar, removing any western influence from the area.
16Paul Melly is an Africa expert at the Chatham House research group in London.
17Before the military action on Wednesday, he said Niger had been open to working with international partners.
18"So, quite a lot is at stake here," he added.
19Melly pointed to one important difference between what is happening in Niger and other nations in the area whose leaders have been ousted.
20In Guinea, Mali and Burkina Faso, the people on the streets supported the military coup.
21In Niger, Melly said, that was not what happened.
22People were supporting Bazoum, the president.
23Western nations are concerned about Niger because they have used the country as an operations base in actions against extremist fighters.
24The concern is that a leadership change in Niger will limit what western countries can do to fight terrorist groups in West Africa and the Sahel.
25The Sahel is the area south of the Sahara Desert.
26In 2021, the United States said it had supported Niger with over $500 million of military aid and training since 2012.
27Earlier in 2023, the European Union started a $30 million training program in Niger.
28The U.S. is known to have a drone base it uses to fight militant extremists in the northern part of Niger.
29John Manley is a spokesman for the U.S. Africa Command.
30He said it is too soon to know how the coup attempt in Niger will affect U.S. activities in the country.
31Other African nations say they are worried that fighting in the northern part of West Africa will move south.
32Omar Touray is president of the ECOWAS Commission.
33ECOWAS is the economic group formed by 15 West African nations.
34Touray recently told the United Nations that extremist fighting could move into Ghana and Ivory Coast if Niger loses western support.
35West African nations say there were about 1,800 extremist attacks this year resulting in almost 4,600 deaths - mostly in Burkina Faso and Niger.
36I'm Dan Friedell.
1Wednesday's attempt by military members to seize power in Niger puts the West African country's security into question. 2A group of soldiers said late Wednesday they had ousted democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum. 3Earlier Wednesday, however, the president's Twitter account released a message saying he and his family were safe. It said other military members planned to support the president. 4The leadership situation in Niger creates a question of what will happen to the West African country that is campaigning against religious extremism. 5Western nations, including France and the U.S., have considered Niger to be a democratic ally. Both countries have about 1,000 soldiers in Niger. The soldiers are there to support the country if it is attacked by Islamic extremist fighters. 6France has been active in the area, offering similar support to the nearby countries of Mali and Burkina Faso. The French soldiers, however, left Mali in late in 2022 after tensions with the country's military leadership. 7U.S. Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, visited Niger in March. He called the country a "model of democracy." Blinken announced $150 million in aid while he was there. 8Concern about western support 9The military leaders of Mali and Burkina Faso use the Russian Wagner Group for military support. The concern is that Niger will do something similar, removing any western influence from the area. 10Paul Melly is an Africa expert at the Chatham House research group in London. Before the military action on Wednesday, he said Niger had been open to working with international partners. "So, quite a lot is at stake here," he added. 11Melly pointed to one important difference between what is happening in Niger and other nations in the area whose leaders have been ousted. 12In Guinea, Mali and Burkina Faso, the people on the streets supported the military coup. In Niger, Melly said, that was not what happened. People were supporting Bazoum, the president. 13Future of western positions 14Western nations are concerned about Niger because they have used the country as an operations base in actions against extremist fighters. 15The concern is that a leadership change in Niger will limit what western countries can do to fight terrorist groups in West Africa and the Sahel. The Sahel is the area south of the Sahara Desert. 16In 2021, the United States said it had supported Niger with over $500 million of military aid and training since 2012. Earlier in 2023, the European Union started a $30 million training program in Niger. The U.S. is known to have a drone base it uses to fight militant extremists in the northern part of Niger. 17John Manley is a spokesman for the U.S. Africa Command. He said it is too soon to know how the coup attempt in Niger will affect U.S. activities in the country. 18Other African nations are worried 19Other African nations say they are worried that fighting in the northern part of West Africa will move south. Omar Touray is president of the ECOWAS Commission. ECOWAS is the economic group formed by 15 West African nations. 20Touray recently told the United Nations that extremist fighting could move into Ghana and Ivory Coast if Niger loses western support. West African nations say there were about 1,800 extremist attacks this year resulting in almost 4,600 deaths - mostly in Burkina Faso and Niger. 21I'm Dan Friedell. 22Dan Friedell adapted this story for Learning English based on a report by the Associated Press. 23______________________________________________ 24Words in This Story 25coup (d'état) -n. (diplomatic) a sudden attempt by a small group to take over a government usually by force 26drone -n. an unmanned aircraft 27We want to hear from you. Do you think the extremist problem will move south after the leadership troubles in Niger? 28Here is how our comment system works: 29Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here.