Former President, Muhammadu Buhari, yesterday expressed concern over the ousted Nigerien President, Mohammed Bazoum. Mutinous soldiers claimed to have overthrown Niger’s democratically-elected president, announcing on state television late Wednesday that they have put an end to the government over the African country’s deteriorating security.

The soldiers said all institutions had been suspended and security forces were managing the situation. The mutineers urged external partners not to interfere.

However, a statement issued by his media aide, GarbaShehu, quoted Buhari as expressing shock at the unfolding development in Niamey, even as he prayed that the situation he described as “unwarranted,” would be reversed.

“As to be expected, I, just like millions of other Nigerians, am shocked by the latest turn of events in Niger Republic, our neighbor to the North.
“Concerns have been raised about the fate of democracy as a system of government in the country and in the wider sub-region, and equally so, about the safety of President Mohammed Bazoum and his family.I and my family are as much concerned about these as is everyone else.

“It is heartening to note that the ECOWAS, under the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is already dealing effectively with the matter and our hope and prayers are that the unwanted situation will be completely reversed and the safety and wellbeing of President Bazoum and his family are ensured,” the former President said.

The European Union Delegation also condemned, in strong terms, the coup d’etat, describing it as a serious attack on stability and democracy in the country.

A press statement issued yesterday on behalf of the High Representative of the EU for Foreign Policy, JosepBorrell, on the situation in Niger, stated just like the ECOWAS pointed out in its latest press release, that the coup is in total violation of the democratic principles on which the management of political power in the region is based.

The military takeover, which marks the seventh coup in the West and Central Africa region since 2020, could further complicate Western efforts to help countries in the Sahel region fight a jihadist insurgency that has spread from Mali over the past decade.

Land-locked Niger, a former French colony, has become a pivotal ally for Western powers seeking to help fight the insurgencies, but they are facing growing acrimony from the new juntas in charge in Mali and Burkina Faso. Niger is also a key ally of the European Union in the fight against irregular migration from sub-Saharan Africa.

The EU reiterated their support for the action of ECOWAS in the sub-region and for the ongoing efforts to allow an immediate return to constitutional order.

They, however, called for President Bazoum’s security and freedom of movement to be guaranteed unconditionally as any breach of the constitutional order will have consequences for cooperation between the EU and Niger, including the immediate suspension of all budget support.