By Rachel Boßmeyer and Marek Majewsky, dpa
Brussels, Jul. 30, (dpa/GNA) – The European Union and France are suspending financial support to Niger following the military coup and demanding a return to constitutional order, according to official statements on Saturday.
The EU does not and will not recognize the authorities who seized power in the coup in Niger, the bloc’s foreign diplomat Josep Borrell said.
Nigerien President Mohamed Bazoum was elected democratically, he said. “He is and therefore remains the only legitimate president of Niger.”
Borrell added that the EU held the coup leaders responsible for Bazoum’s safety and that of his family.
On Friday, the head of the presidential guard in Niger, General Omar Tchiani, appointed himself president of the National Council and thus the country’s new ruler.
That came after presidential guard officers detained Bazoum in the palace on Wednesday. Later, 10 military officers announced on television that the so-called National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland (CNSP) had taken power.
Niger’s Interior Ministry banned all demonstrations and the army warned foreign states not to attempt a military intervention, saying it could have devastating consequences for the country.
Opposition parties are also backing the coup, according to a statement published in Nigerien media on Friday.
Abroad, Washington, the European Union, the African Union and individual governments including Russia and Germany, were quick to criticize the coup.
Borrel said on Saturday the EU was prepared to support decisions made by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), including the adoption of sanctions.
ECOWAS also rejected the power grab “in the strongest possible terms.”
Borrell also said the “unacceptable attack on the integrity of Niger’s republican institutions” would affect the EU’s partnership with the country, meaning an immediate halt to budgetary support and all security cooperation measures suspended indefinitely.
The EU’s support programme involved payments of at least €503 million for the period from 2021 to 2024 alone. It was unclear how much of that sum has been paid out.
Paris took a similar step. All development aid actions would also be suspended with immediate effect, the French Foreign Ministry said on Saturday evening.
It said France is calling for an immediate return to constitutional order around Bazoum, who has been in power since 2021.
The statement came after France’s National Security and Defence Council, chaired by President Emmanuel Macron, discussed the situation in Niger. Paris is not going to recognize the new rulers and Macron described the coup as illegitimate and dangerous.
Niger used to be a French colony and was an important partner in anti-terror operations in the Sahel, after military leaders in Mali and Burkina Faso demanded the withdrawal of French troops.
Paris has about 2,500 soldiers stationed in Niger and neighbouring Chad. Last week’s coup in Niger is a serious setback for efforts to combat terror in the region.
Last year, France’s official development assistance for Niger amounted to about €120 million ($132 million), according to the Foreign Ministry.
GNA