African states give Niger a week to end military coup

The Economic Community of West African States told the junta controlling Niger it has a week to reinstate ousted President Mohammed Bazoum or face economic sanctions. Niger military leaders mounted a coup late last week, placing Bazoum under house arrest. Protesters supporting the coup burned the door of the French Embassy—Niger’s former colonial power—over the weekend while waving Russian and Nigerien flags. Niger Prime Minister Ouhoumoudou Mahamadou said that ignoring the sanctions and abandoning foreign aid would be “suicide” for the country.

What's going on in Niger now? The West African States announced the ultimatum Sunday, the same day Chad President Mahamat Idriss Deby arrived in Niger. Deby held separate meetings with Bazoum and the coup leaders, attempting to broker a peaceful solution to the unrest. The military arrested three more leaders of the ousted government on Monday, including the mines minister, the head of the ruling political party, and the oil minister.

Dig deeper: Read Onize Ohikere’s report on the Sudanese coup of 2021.