July 26th 2023.
Soldiers from Niger's presidential guard took action on Wednesday by blockading the office of President Mohamed Bazoum. Reports have also indicated that they have detained Bazoum. In response, the West African regional and economic bloc ECOWAS has called it an "attempted coup."
This is the latest in a series of military uprisings in West Africa, many of which have been led by U.S.-trained officers. It is yet unclear if any of the Nigerien troops involved in the mutiny had any prior training from the United States. However, Pentagon and State Department documents have confirmed that the U.S. has trained members of Niger's presidential guard in recent years.
U.S.-mentored officers have been part of at least ten coups in West Africa since 2008, including those in Burkina Faso, Gambia, Guinea, Mali, and Mauritania. When asked about the incident, John Manley, a spokesperson for U.S. Africa Command, told The Intercept that they are "aware of the situation in Niamey, Niger" and "working with the U.S. Department of State to further assess the situation." He also said that they will provide more information when it becomes available.
Niger and its neighboring countries in the West African Sahel have been dealing with armed groups that have been wreaking havoc in the region. To counter this, the U.S. has provided Niger with military assistance since 2002, and has continuously increased their security assistance programs in the country. By 2021, the number of U.S. military personnel deployed to Niger had risen to 1,016. Along with this, the country has seen a proliferation of U.S. outposts, with Air Base 201 in Agadez being one of the largest and most expensive drone bases run by the U.S. military.
In 2002, there were only nine terrorist attacks in the African continent. Fast forward to 2022 and the number of violent events in Burkina Faso, Mali, and western Niger alone had reached 2,737. This huge jump in terrorist activities is seen as a result of the U.S. military efforts in the region.
During a meeting with Niger's President Bazoum, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken acknowledged the growing regional influence of the Russia-linked Wagner Group. He said that the U.S. was a better option and needed to prove "that we can actually deliver results." However, reports have shown that the two-decade long U.S. military engagement in the region has only caused more “bad things” and “overall worsening security.”
In a similar case, Col. Assimi Goïta, who was trained by U.S. Special Operations forces and participated in U.S. training exercises, overthrew the government in Mali in 2020 and 2021. He later struck a deal with Wagner, and the mercenary group has been implicated in hundreds of human rights abuses.
The Nigerien presidency has confirmed that Bazoum and his family are “doing well.” The Nigerien embassy in Washington, D.C., has yet to comment on the incident. As of now, it is still unclear exactly what the outcome of this attempted coup will be.
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