The Military Coup in Niger Republic
- By Business World
- Published March 1st, 2010
- Editorial
- Unrated
On February 19, a military coup took place in Niger Republic, Nigeria’s northern neighbour, resulting in the ouster of President Mamadou Tandja. There was wild jubilation by the Nigeriens on the streets of Niamey heralding the military coup. Indeed, the week preceding the coup was characterised by civil unrest, protest and demonstrations against the administration of President Mamadou Tandja. This might be surprising considering the wave of ideological hatred against military coup and military rule across Africa in the last two decades after democracy made successful in-road into the African continent.
However, it was President Mamadou Tandja that invited the military intervention by his greedy and tenacious cling to power after his two terms of five years each (totalling ten years) had constitutionally expired more than a year ago. At the age of more than seventy years, Mamadou Tandja unilaterally sacked the Constitutional Court of Niger (equivalent of the Supreme Court of Nigeria), dissolved the parliament, amended the Constitution of the country and started ruling by decrees, sacked his cabinet and appointed a new one that is more obedient to him, harassed and pursued opposition figures underground and into exile, extended his rule by three years beyond what the Constitution initially recognized, had the media muzzled and finally established a regime of civilian dictatorship.
Meanwhile, the economic and social structures of Niger Republic continue to deteriorate.
Indeed, Niger is one of the poorest countries in the world. International funds, overseas development assistance and assistance from international non-governmental organizations are cornered by Mamadou Tandja and diverted into his private pocket and those of his cronies while his people starve to death.
International condemnation of the military was not, however, slow in coming. Why we believe that military intervention is an aberration and never an answer to the crisis of governance anywhere, we should equally condemn in strongest terms those civilian regimes that have proclivity for dictatorship of which many examples unfortunately abound in Africa as at present. The collective nature of these dictatorships across Africa has been one of the biggest factors of underdevelopment in the continent and a stigma on the image of the continent.
The answer to crisis of governance lies in electoral democracy and never in the barrel and rule of the machine gun.
The new military leaders instituted in the “Supreme Council for the Restoration of Democracy” have promised to return Niger to democracy and good governance within the shortest possible time.
But the coup in Niger is indeed worrisome because it is clearly a manifestation of growing civil political instability in sub-Saharan Africa especially the West African sub-region. The danger of the coup also lies in its domino effect on neighbouring countries. We note, however, that the Nigerian military has displayed some maturity especially in recent times. The military high command has consistently maintained that it will not interfere in the political affairs of the country, promising to remain loyal to the civil authority. But the military must also know that Nigerians will not welcome any military intervention now or in the future.
However, it was President Mamadou Tandja that invited the military intervention by his greedy and tenacious cling to power after his two terms of five years each (totalling ten years) had constitutionally expired more than a year ago. At the age of more than seventy years, Mamadou Tandja unilaterally sacked the Constitutional Court of Niger (equivalent of the Supreme Court of Nigeria), dissolved the parliament, amended the Constitution of the country and started ruling by decrees, sacked his cabinet and appointed a new one that is more obedient to him, harassed and pursued opposition figures underground and into exile, extended his rule by three years beyond what the Constitution initially recognized, had the media muzzled and finally established a regime of civilian dictatorship.
Meanwhile, the economic and social structures of Niger Republic continue to deteriorate.
Indeed, Niger is one of the poorest countries in the world. International funds, overseas development assistance and assistance from international non-governmental organizations are cornered by Mamadou Tandja and diverted into his private pocket and those of his cronies while his people starve to death.
International condemnation of the military was not, however, slow in coming. Why we believe that military intervention is an aberration and never an answer to the crisis of governance anywhere, we should equally condemn in strongest terms those civilian regimes that have proclivity for dictatorship of which many examples unfortunately abound in Africa as at present. The collective nature of these dictatorships across Africa has been one of the biggest factors of underdevelopment in the continent and a stigma on the image of the continent.
The answer to crisis of governance lies in electoral democracy and never in the barrel and rule of the machine gun.
The new military leaders instituted in the “Supreme Council for the Restoration of Democracy” have promised to return Niger to democracy and good governance within the shortest possible time.
But the coup in Niger is indeed worrisome because it is clearly a manifestation of growing civil political instability in sub-Saharan Africa especially the West African sub-region. The danger of the coup also lies in its domino effect on neighbouring countries. We note, however, that the Nigerian military has displayed some maturity especially in recent times. The military high command has consistently maintained that it will not interfere in the political affairs of the country, promising to remain loyal to the civil authority. But the military must also know that Nigerians will not welcome any military intervention now or in the future.
