"Interim Government Declared After Niger Coup: Head of Presidential Guard Assumes Leadership"

 

By:ReportRealm Desk 

Courtesy:AFP 

Date:7/29/23

Abdorahmane Chiani

(ReportRealm Desk)-

Major announcements by the interim government after the coup in Niger 

 Abdorahmane Chiani, the head of the presidential guard who led the coup last Wednesday in the West African country of Niger, declared himself the head of the country's interim government. 

Chiani made the announcement on the state television channel of Niger today, Friday. Just two days earlier, Chiani's forces had ousted the country's democratically elected president, Mohamed Bajom, in a coup. 

In a televised speech, 62-year-old General Chiani said his forces needed to intervene to save the country from a slow, inevitable collapse. Bajom wanted to convince people that everything is going well. 

However, the harsh reality is that the country was piled up with mountains of death, displacement, humiliation and despair. However, Chiani did not say when the power will be returned to the hands of the civilian government. Since 2015, he was serving as the head of the Presidential Guard. He is known to be close to the former president of Niger, Mahamadu Issofor. Isofo was the country's president until 2021. 

On July 26, Mohammad Bajom was arrested in the presidential palace of the capital Niam by members of the country's presidential guard. Then the country's constitution was suspended. The border was closed. Curfew was issued across the country. It is not clear where Bajom is now or if he is still being held. 

Mohammad Bajom won the election in 2021 and became the president. He is known as pro-Western. He has advanced the fight against armed groups in the eastern and western parts of Niger. He was directly assisted by the United States and France, which had once colonized Niger. Because both countries have military bases in uranium-rich Niger. 

Fire in the office of the ruling party 

Supporters of the coup set fire to the headquarters of the Nigerian Party for Democracy and Socialism (PNDS), the political party of Mohammed Bajom, in the capital Niamey on Thursday. Apart from this, stones were pelted at the office and cars outside were set on fire. 

 According to BBC news, several hundred people who supported the coup gathered in front of the parliament and showed support for the soldiers who participated in the coup. At this time, they are seen flying the Russian flag. Many raised anti-French slogans. Many held placards reading 'Remove Foreign Bases'. 

Bhagnar Pradhan in support of the coup 

Yevgeny Prigoshin, the head of Russian mercenary supplier Vagnar Group, described the uprising in Niger as the country's people's war against "colonialism". An organization associated with Bhagnar reported this information on Thursday. The name of the organization is Union for International Security (OUIS). In the Central African Republic, the OUIS is believed by the United States to be working for Wagner. 

 At the end of last month, Prigoshin, angry with the Russian military leadership, declared a mutiny. He later backed down from the rebellion after reaching an agreement with the Kremlin. Since then, Prigoshin has remained in the public eye. In an audio message released by OUIS, he was heard saying, "What happened in Niger is nothing more than the struggle of the people of the country against the colonialists," but AFP could not verify the authenticity of this statement. 

Niger's coup is regionally dangerous 

Various countries and organizations including the United States, France, the United Nations, and the African Union have demanded the immediate release of Mohammed Bajom, criticizing the coup in Niger. French President Emmanuel Macron said today that this coup is dangerous for the Sahel region of Africa. At the same time, he asked for Bajom's release.