July 26, 2023. Most of us are enjoying life without a care in the world back home. On the contrary, the people of Niger are suffering from what is known as a coup d’état. Coup d’état’s literal meaning in French is “stroke of state,” where the government is unlawfully and violently seized. The commander general of the Presidential Guard of Niger, Abdourahamane Tchiani, held back President Bazoum and proclaimed himself the leader of a new military junta. This action marked Niger’s fifth coup since 2010, and possibly the first successful one in its history.

The Nigerien coup was condemned by many, including the U.S., France, and ECOWAS. ECOWAS is an acronym for “the Economic Community of West African States”. Founded in 1975, its goal is to promote economic cooperation to raise living standards and boost development for all member states. To do this, it creates a single large trade bloc among the numerous members. Due to earlier successful coups, Burkina Faso, Guinea, and Mali have been expelled from the economic alliance. 

The United States, France, and others have been involved in Niger before. Because of this, numerous countries, mainly the U.S., France, and Turkey, have bases in the nation. Earlier anti-French sentiment paved the way for influence from the Wagner Group and the Turkish.

On July 30th, 2023, ECOWAS gave a one-week deadline for the junta to hand power back to Bazoum, which had expired on the 6th of August. Due to Tchiani’s refusal, ECOWAS ordered the immediate activation of their personnel, beginning the Nigerien Crisis.

As of August 20, ECOWAS has 245,000 soldiers compared to the junta’s minuscule 57,000. All active members, excluding Cabo Verde, have agreed to contribute their troops for an intervention against Tchiani. However, Mali and Burkina Faso have threatened to counter the attack by contributing their own militia in favor of the putschists (junta). France has refused to intervene.