2021 Nigerien coup d'état attempt
Date31 March 2021
Location
Niamey, Niger
Result Failure of the coup
Belligerents
Niger Niger Armed Forces
Presidential Guard		 Niger Dissenting faction of the armed forces
Commanders and leaders
Niger Mahamadou Issoufou
Niger Abdourahamane Tchiani		 Niger Sani Saley Gourouza

The 2021 Nigerien coup d'etat attempt occurred on 31 March at around 3 am WAT (2 am UTC) after gunfire erupted in the streets of Niamey, the capital of Niger, two days before the inauguration of president-elect Mohamed Bazoum.

The coup attempt was staged by elements within the military, and was attributed to an Air Force unit based in the area of the Niamey Airport. The alleged leader of the plot was Captain Sani Saley Gourouza, who was in charge of security at the unit's base.[1] After the coup attempt was foiled, the perpetrators were arrested.[2]

Context

The coup attempt took place while Niger was mired in the War in the Sahel, with marked terrorism and inter-ethnic violence. Sahel countries received France's help against terrorists via Operation Barkhane, with controversial actions. In 2020, a coup d'état overthrew the government of Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta. Niger successfully went through the 2020–21 Nigerien general election cycle with incoming peaceful presidential transition between two democratically elected presidents, a context unprecedented in Niger. However, the defeated opponent and ex-president Mahamane Ousmane contested the election results and lodged a legal appeal with the constitutional court, which was rejected.[3] On March 21, 2021, jihadist factions led a massacre in Tilia, where 137 villagers were killed.

Events

According to Cyril Payen of France 24, "heavy weapon fire was heard for half an hour in the area of the presidential palace. But the Presidential Guard repelled this attack and the situation seems to have come under control", and the noise of the fighting woke up locals around 3am (local time).[4] The majority of the perpetrators were arrested by the government but some, including the leader of the coup Sani Saley Gourouza, are still at large.[5]

Reactions

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari described the act as "naive and old-fashioned".[6] The President of the African Union and the Economic Community of West African States condemned the attempted coup,[7][8] a sentiment which was also echoed by other African countries, including Chad[9] and Algeria.[10]

Aftermath

The democratic transition went as planned, the swearing-in of the new president Mohamed Bazoum occurring two days after the attempted coup. However, he was ousted in the 2023 Nigerien coup d'état by members of the presidential guard and the military led by Abdourahamane Tchiani, who ironically led the presidential guard in defeating the 2021 coup.[11]

References

  1. ↑ "Niger: Military officials who wanted to overthrow president-elect Bazoum". APA news. APA. 1 April 2021. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
  2. ↑ "Soldiers arrested in Niger after 'attempted coup'". Agence France-Presse. France 24. 31 March 2021. Archived from the original on 31 March 2021. Retrieved 31 March 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  3. ↑ "Invité Afrique - Mahamane Ousmane, au Niger: «Je continue de rejeter la décision de la Cour constitutionnelle»" [Guest Africa - Mahamane Ousmane, in Niger: "I continue to reject the decision of the Constitutional Court"]. RFI (in French). 31 March 2021. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  4. ↑ "Niger: le gouvernement dénonce une "tentative de coup d'État"" [Niger: the government denounces an "attempted coup"]. France 24 (in French). 31 March 2021. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  5. ↑ Yayadiomandehero (31 March 2021). "Niger – Coup d'état : Le capitaine GOUROUZA SANI SALEY serait le cerveau de la tentative du coup d'État avorté, il est le chargé de la sécurité de la compagnie aérienne de l'escadrille de Niamey. Il est actuellement recherché par les forces de l'ordre et de sécurité. D'après une source sécuritaire plusieurs de ses éléments ont été arrêtés" [Niger – Coup d'etat: Captain GOUROUZA SANI SALEY would be the mastermind of the failed coup attempt, he is the security officer of the Niamey squadron of the airforce. He is currently wanted by law enforcement and security forces. According to a security source, several of its elements have been arrested.]. Omega Médias (in French). Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  6. ↑ Dit, Sultan Aziz (1 April 2021). "Tentative de coup d'État au Niger : Buhari condamne un acte naïf et démodé" [Coup attempt in Niger: Buhari condemns naive and old-fashioned act]. La Nouvelle Tribune (in French). Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  7. ↑ "Le Président de la Commission de l'Union africaine condamne fermement la tentative de coup d'Etat au Niger" [The Chairperson of the African Union Commission strongly condemns the coup attempt in Niger]. au.int. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  8. ↑ Aib, Ab (1 April 2021). "Niger: La CEDEAO réaffirme sa ferme opposition aux coups d'Etat" [Niger: ECOWAS reaffirms its firm opposition to coups]. AIB - Agence d'Information du Burkina (in French). Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  9. ↑ "Le Tchad condamne la tentative de coup d'Etat au Niger" [Chad condemns coup attempt in Niger]. Tchadinfos.com (in French). 1 April 2021. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  10. ↑ Marouf-Araibi, Yasmine (1 April 2021). "L'Algérie condamne la tentative de coup d'Etat au Niger" [Algeria condemns coup attempt in Niger]. INTERLIGNES Algérie (in French). Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  11. ↑ "Niger general Tchiani named head of transitional government after coup". Al Jazeera. 28 July 2023. Archived from the original on 28 July 2023. Retrieved 5 August 2023.

13°31′00″N 2°07′00″E / 13.5167°N 2.1167°E / 13.5167; 2.1167

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