The coup in Niger has further destabilised Africa’s Sahel region and drawn condemnation from around the world. It’s the eighth overthrow of a government in the region in the past three years and may be the most significant.
As Peter Beaumont tells Michael Safi, it began with what appeared to be a spat among the country’s elites and ended with the ousting of an elected president by the head of the army.
As Nesrine Malik explains, the reason why there has been so much international attention is because of where Niger is located: in the wider Sahel region that’s been described as one of the most dangerous parts of the world. Jihadist violence has risen dramatically as the government’s attempts to quell it have failed.
This coup, however, has one striking difference to others in the region. Ecowas, the political and economic union of West African states, said last week that what is happening in Niger cannot stand – and has threatened military intervention if the president is not reinstated. Much now rests on the effectiveness of that threat.
Photograph: ORTN – Télé Sahel/AFP/Getty Images
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