2021 Nigerien coup d'état attempt

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2021 Nigerien coup d'état attempt
Niger-CIA WFB Map.png
Date31 March 2021
Location
Niamey, Niger
Result Failure of the coup
Belligerents
Niger Niger Armed Forces
Presidential Guard		 Niger Dissenting faction of the armed forces
Commanders and leaders
Niger Mahamadou Issoufou Niger Sani Saley Gourouza

The 2021 Nigerien coup d'etat attempt occurred on 31 March at around 3 am WAT (2 am UTC) after gunfire erupted in the streets of Niamey, the capital of Niger, two days before the inauguration of president-elect Mohamed Bazoum.

The coup attempt was staged by elements within the military, and was attributed to an Air Force unit based in the area of the Niamey Airport. The alleged leader of the plot was Captain , who was in charge of security at the unit's base.[1] After the coup attempt was foiled, the perpetrators were arrested.[2]

Context[]

The coup attempt took place while Niger was mired in the  [fr], with marked terrorism and inter-ethnic violence, with the sahel countries receiving France's help against terrorists via Operation Barkhane. In particular, there was the  [fr], where jihadist groups caused 137 deaths in a village in western Niger, a little over a week before the coup. In addition, the coup d'état occurs during a peaceful transition between two democratically elected presidents, a context unprecedented in Niger. The swearing-in of the new president Mohamed Bazoum would occur two days after the attempted coup. However, the defeated opponent and ex-president Mahamane Ousmane contested the election results and lodged a legal appeal with the constitutional court, which was rejected.[3] In 2020, a coup d'état overthrew the government of Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta.

Events[]

According to Cyril Payen of France 24, "heavy weapon fire was heard for half an hour in the area of the presidential palace. But the Presidential Guard repelled this attack and the situation seems to have come under control", and the noise of the fighting woke up locals around 3am (local time).[4] The majority of the perpetrators were arrested by the government but some, including the leader of the coup Sani Saley Gourouza, are still at large.[5]

Reactions[]

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari described the act as "naive and old-fashioned".[6] The President of the African Union and the Economic Community of West African States condemned the attempted coup,[7][8] a sentiment which was also echoed by other African countries, including Chad[9] and Algeria.[10]

References[]

  1. ^ "Niger: Military officials who wanted to overthrow president-elect Bazoum". APA news. APA. 1 April 2021. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
  2. ^ "Soldiers arrested in Niger after 'attempted coup'". Agence France-Presse. France 24. 31 March 2021. Retrieved 31 March 2021.CS1 maint: others (link)
  3. ^ "Invité Afrique - Mahamane Ousmane, au Niger: «Je continue de rejeter la décision de la Cour constitutionnelle»". RFI (in French). 31 March 2021. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  4. ^ "Niger: le gouvernement dénonce une "tentative de coup d'État"". France 24 (in French). 31 March 2021. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  5. ^ Yayadiomandehero (31 March 2021). "Niger – Coup d'état : Le capitaine GOUROUZA SANI SALEY serait le cerveau de la tentative du coup d'État avorté, il est le chargé de la sécurité de la compagnie aérienne de l'escadrille de Niamey. Il est actuellement recherché par les forces de l'ordre et de sécurité. D'après une source sécuritaire plusieurs de ses éléments ont été arrêtés". Omega Médias (in French). Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  6. ^ Dit, Sultan Aziz (1 April 2021). "Tentative de coup d'État au Niger : Buhari condamne un acte naïf et démodé". La Nouvelle Tribune (in French). Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  7. ^ "Le Président de la Commission de l'Union africaine condamne fermement la tentative de coup d'Etat au Niger | Union africaine". au.int. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  8. ^ Aib, Ab (1 April 2021). "Niger: La CEDEAO réaffirme sa ferme opposition aux coups d'Etat". AIB - Agence d'Information du Burkina (in French). Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  9. ^ "Le Tchad condamne la tentative de coup d'Etat au Niger". Tchadinfos.com (in French). 1 April 2021. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  10. ^ Marouf-Araibi, Yasmine (1 April 2021). "L'Algérie condamne la tentative de coup d'Etat au Niger". INTERLIGNES Algérie (in French). Retrieved 1 April 2021.

Coordinates: 13°31′00″N 2°07′00″E / 13.5167°N 2.1167°E / 13.5167; 2.1167

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