At 57 years old, Afhagad, a driver from northern Niger, has lived through five coups in his life.
“Our first coup d’etat was Kountche, Colonel (Seyni) Kountche, on 15 April, 1974,” said Afhagad, who asked to use a pseudonym amid the country’s ongoing political crisis, before quickly rattling off names of other strongmen who have seized power in the West African country: Ibrahim Bare Mainassara (1996), Daouda Malam Wanke (1999), Salou Djibo (2010) – and now, perhaps, the members of the self-described National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland.
This latest addition to Afhagad’s list came on Wednesday and is still unfolding after President Mohamed Bazoum’s presidential guard barricaded the presidential palace and demanded his resignation. Later that night, after hours of speculation about how the standoff would end, the coup plotters became, it seems, coup leaders.
“We, the Defence and Security Forces, united within the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland, have decided to put an end to the regime you know,” Colonel-Major Amadou Abdramane said in a message delivered on state television. “This follows the continuing deterioration of the security situation and poor economic and social governance.”
The shocking turn of events deposed the leadership of the Western-allied country and added yet another West African country to the band of military-led nations stretching from the Atlantic to the Sahara. But it remains unclear how much might change for ordinary Nigeriens or the country’s Western allies.
US, French and other European troops have a large footprint in the country for their regional “counterinsurgency” operations – one they’ll be loathe to give up, even if it means playing nice with the military-led government, analysts say.
Article from www.aljazeera.com