ECOWAS has imposed trade sanctions on Niger and approved the deployment of a “standby force to restore constitutional order” in Niamey. Troubled SahelThe coup has heightened international worries over the Sahel, which faces growing jihadist insurgencies linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group. Niger is the fourth ECOWAS nation since 2020 to suffer a coup, following Burkina Faso, Guinea and Mali. “This kind of problem in Niger should be solved through peaceful dialogue through ECOWAS and the African Union,” he said. He survived two attempted coups before finally being toppled in what marked the fifth putsch since Niger gained independence from France in 1960.

Source: The North Africa Journal August 23, 2023 14:11 UTC