Niger military coup: What you need to know

Niger's democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum has been overthrown by the precise radical who were expected to support and uphold his bureau - the statesmanlike guards who stood ticker extracurricular his palace.

President Bazoum was the archetypal elected person to win different successful Niger since independency successful 1960. Now his captors person suspended the country's constitution and installed Gen Abdourahmane Tchiani arsenic caput of state.

Niger is simply a cardinal portion of the African portion known arsenic the Sahel - a loop of onshore that stretches from the Atlantic Ocean to the Red Sea. The country is plagued by jihadists and beset by subject regimes.

Western nations had looked to Niger arsenic a bulwark against further upset and spreading Russian power successful the region. But that turned retired to beryllium short-lived.

Here's what you request to cognize astir the crisis.

As the largest state successful West Africa, it's a bellwether authorities successful galore ways.

Politically, it had been seen arsenic an illustration of comparative antiauthoritarian stability, portion its neighbours Mali and Burkina Faso had already succumbed to subject coups.

Strategically, it hosts French and US subject bases and is seen arsenic a cardinal spouse successful the combat against Islamist insurgents.

In fact, the US authorities department describes Niger arsenic "important arsenic a linchpin for stableness successful the Sahel" and "a reliable counter-terrorism partner" against assorted Islamist groups linked to either Islamic State oregon al-Qaeda.

Economically, it is affluent successful uranium - producing 7% of each planetary supplies. The radioactive metallic looms truthful ample successful the country's system that 1 of the grandest thoroughfares successful the capital, Niamey, is named the Avenue de l'Uranium.

However, overmuch of the mining is done by French firms, portion Niger's radical consistently fertile arsenic having the lowest standards of surviving anyplace successful the world.

The Sahel portion is simply a turbulent and unstable portion of the satellite and ideology is presently successful retreat there.

Violent Islamist groups person gained crushed by controlling territory and conducting attacks successful the tri-border portion betwixt Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso.

The mutinous soldiers successful Niger person cited this worsening information concern arsenic a crushed for their uprising, though Niger was handling the insurgencies acold amended than Mali and Burkina Faso earlier their ain coups.

The increasing unrest has led immoderate to judge that lone harsh subject crackdowns tin lick the problem, hence the fashionable enactment that the coup seems to bask successful immoderate quarters.

However, it is acold from wide that a subject junta would person greater occurrence successful tackling the insurgents than the precocious ousted government. The takeovers successful neighbouring countries person not made overmuch difference.

France, the erstwhile assemblage power, has been stern successful its condemnation of the subject takeover.

A connection by the French overseas ministry said President Bazoum was the country's sole leader, adding that France "does not recognise the authorities resulting from the putsch led by Gen Tchiani".

It added that France "reaffirmed successful the strongest presumption the wide demands of the planetary assemblage calling for the contiguous restoration of law bid and democratically-elected civilian authorities successful Niger".

The US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, has called for the president's contiguous release, portion the African Union, the West African determination bloc Ecowas, the EU and the UN person each spoken retired against the coup.

The lone dependable successful favour has been that of the person of Russia's Wagner mercenary group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, who has reportedly described it arsenic a triumph.

"What happened successful Niger is thing different than the conflict of the radical of Niger with their colonisers," helium was quoted arsenic saying connected a Wagner-affiliated Telegram channel, though his comments person not been independently verified.

As good arsenic jihadist groups, the Wagner mercenaries, who are progressive elsewhere successful the region, person been seen arsenic exercising a malign power successful Niger. Some supporters of the coup person been seen waving the Russian emblem alongside that of Niger.

Before the coup, President Bazoum had complained of "disinformation campaigns" by Wagner against his authorities - and determination is small uncertainty that Wagner, which has exploited mineral resources successful different African countries to money its operations, would similar to bash the aforesaid successful Niger.

The US has said determination is nary denotation that the Wagner unit was progressive successful the overthrow of President Bazoum, but added that the concern continues to beryllium rather fluid.

Now determination are concerns that Niger's caller enactment could determination distant from its Western allies and person to Russia.

If it does, it would travel successful the footsteps of Burkina Faso and Mali, which person some pivoted towards Moscow since their ain subject coups.

President Bazoum's authorities has been a spouse to European countries trying to halt the travel of migrants crossed the Mediterranean Sea, agreeing to instrumentality backmost hundreds of migrants from detention centres successful Libya.

He has besides cracked down connected quality traffickers successful what had been a cardinal transit constituent betwixt different countries successful West Africa and those further north.

That whitethorn present beryllium called into question.