THE NIGER COUP: GEOPOLITICS AND FOREIGN POWER RELATIONS

Abstract

The illegitimate enterprise of military takeovers from democratically elected governments in Africa has been rising steadily in recent times – examples include Burkina Faso, Chad, Gabon, Guinea, Mali, and Sudan. The latest coup d’état in Niger has seen a multiform of geopolitical and international propulsion to restore democracy despite the fierce resistance from the military junta to acquiesce. The Niger coup has attracted geopolitical and international interests because of its geographical and relevant resource mix in the global system. The purpose of this study was to examine the recent resurgence of putschists in the African continent, analyse the intransigence of the Niger military junta to cede power, and the implications of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) threats of military intervention in the Niger political morass. The study adopted a qualitative study approach and drew on the perception of eighteen anonymized Nige military officers using a semi-structured interview guide to solicit information and data. The selection of participants was done via snowballing.   To achieve the objectives of the study, three key research questions were denudated: ((a) Why is there a resurgence of military coup d’états in Sub-Saharan Africa? (b) Why are the putschists adamant about reinstating the ousted democratically elected Nigerien government? (c) To what extent could the political deadlock in Niger be resolved? The paper concludes and argues that an ECOWAS military intervention in Niger would have dire security, economic, social, and political consequences in the West African sub-region and ipso facto, Africa, and the rest of the world. The paper recommends a series of, and a combination of diplomatic methods as the basis of resolving the political deadlock in the Nigerien coup menace.