Two weeks after seizing power in a coup, Niger's junta is appointing a government and rejecting calls for negotiation. Analysts see this as an attempt to entrench their power and show they are serious about governing the West African country.
On Monday, the junta said that civilian economist Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine would be prime minister. Zeine is a former minister of economy and finance who left office after his government was ousted by a previous military coup in 2010, and later worked at the African Development Bank.
The coup comes as a blow to many countries in the West, which saw Niger as one of the last democratic partners in the region they could work with to beat back the extremist threat. Niger’s partners have threatened to cut off hundreds of millions of dollars in military assistance if it does not return to constitutional rule.Niger’s capital, Niamey, appeared more tense on Tuesday, with security forces checking vehicles.
Nuland made more headway than other delegations. A previous ECOWAS delegation was prevented from leaving the airport. In a statement Tuesday after being rejected from visiting Niger, ECOWAS said it was trying to find a peaceful solution to the crisis and will continue to “deploy all necessary measures to ensure the return to constitutional order.” ECOWAS is expected to meet again Thursday in Abuja, the capital of neighboring Nigeria, to discuss the situation.
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