Three weeks into the coup in Niger, the military junta continues to cling to power while West African army chiefs held a second day of talks on Friday in Ghana's capital, Accra, where they are mapping out a possible military intervention if diplomacy fails to reinstate Niger’s deposed President Mohamed Bazoum. Morocco has a lot of economic interest with Niger in terms of food security - telecom, insurance, banking, etc,” said Lyammouri. Most Western countries have condemned the coup and have thrown their support behind efforts by the African Union and the ECOWAS bloc. Uranium and oil, two natural resources plentiful in Niger, are sought after in the international commodities market. Junta leaders have justified toppling the democratically elected president because they accused him of not handling rampant insecurity in some parts of the country.

Source: The North Africa Journal August 18, 2023 15:48 UTC