Niger General Declares Himself Leader, as Russian Mercenary Hails Coup

The head of Niger’s presidential guard declared himself the leader of a new junta Friday after deposing a president who had been a key ally to the U.S. in the fight against extremism in Africa.

Meanwhile, in a sign that Russia could seek to exploit the turmoil in Niger, Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of Russian paramilitary group Wagner, hailed the coup plotters on Friday.

The military coup against democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum threatens to disrupt the U.S. strategy for fighting Islamist militants as they expand across western Africa.

In an address on state television, Gen. Abdourahamane Tiani, the commander of the presidential guard in Niger, said Friday that he was in charge of a junta of military officers that removed Bazoum earlier this week.

Tiani cited setbacks in the country’s counterterrorism efforts to justify Bazoum’s removal. “We can’t continue with the same approach without witnessing the gradual disappearance of our country,” he said.

But people briefed on the coup said Tiani initially took the president hostage early Wednesday at his residence after a dispute over Bazoum’s plans to dismiss him and reduce benefits to his soldiers. That dispute escalated into an attempted coup, the people said.

Key generals later sided with the presidential guard, saying they wanted to avoid bloodshed. But it was unclear until now who was heading the new junta, and the situation remained fluid.

Bazoum has refused to resign and has been speaking to Western diplomats from his residence, say people briefed on his situation.

Meanwhile, the army generals who removed him are still squabbling over who will ultimately run the country and whether or not they should ally with Russia or its mercenaries, say people familiar with his situation. “There is still a ray of hope” the president could be reinstated, said a person close to him.

Western security circles fear the coup against Bazoum, who had received large-scale military and economic support from the U.S. and France, could potentially hand Russia a strategic advantage as Moscow tries to widen its own influence in the region.

Late Thursday, Prigozhin, who was behind a failed rebellion against Russia’s army command last month, hailed the coup in Niger.

“What happened in Niger is nothing other than the struggle of the people of Niger with their colonizers,” he said in a voice-mail message posted in a Telegram account. Following the unsuccessful mutiny at home, Prigozhin has said he wanted to focus on Wagner’s operations in Africa.

Wagner fighters have gained a foothold in four nations on the continent, including Mali, and are trying to enter Burkina Faso and Chad, three of Niger’s neighbors. Western officials have said there is no evidence Russia—who has condemned the plotters—or Wagner were involved in the coup.

Bazoum, who was elected to office in 2021, had been a key ally in a U.S. campaign to take on al Qaeda and Islamic State, whose violent ideology has spread from the Middle East into the Sahel, the semiarid band south of the Sahara, in recent years. The vast West African country hosts American drones and American commandos, who have trained Nigerien special forces and advised them during combat missions against the insurgents.

The junta has faced widespread international condemnation, including from regional power Nigeria, France, the former colonial power, and the U.S.

The United Nations Security Council is holding an emergency session Friday to decide how to respond to the coup. French President

On Friday, Tiani said he would seek closer cooperation with Mali and Burkina Faso, which have both forced out a French counterterrorism mission and drawn closer to Russia.

“If it becomes isolated and loses Western military support, Niger may have little choice but to turn to Russia or Wagner,” said Cameron Hudson, former chief of staff to the U.S. special envoy for Sudan. He pointed out that the capital, Niamey, could be within reach for jihadists who operate much closer than its Malian and Burkinabe counterparts.

Write to Benoit Faucon at [email protected]