Violence erupts in Niger over coup bid

NIAMEY, Thursday

Smoke was seen rising from the presidential palace amid heavy gunfire in Niger’s capital, Niamey on Thursday in what one intelligence official said was a coup attempt. Political tensions have been high in the west African uranium exporting country in recent months over President Mamadou Tandja’s extension of his rule, which drew widespread criticism and international sanctions.

Soldiers injured

Witnesses said machine gun and heavy weapons fire erupted in the city at around 3pm and that smoke was rising from the presidential palace. A Reuters witness later saw five injured soldiers at a hospital in Niamey. An intelligence officer, who asked not to be named, said the violence was a coup attempt that the presidential guard was trying to put down.

Police sources said they believed the attackers came from outside the city in armoured vehicles. A member of Tandja’s entourage in the palace said that “for now everything is alright”. By 4.30pm the shooting continued but was less intense, the Reuters witness said.

The action was likely to be contained and Mr Tandja retain power, said Control Risks analyst Rolake Akinola. “It is likely that it happened quickly ... but it goes to show the political crisis is deepening. This indicates that there is growing discontent against Tandja, even in the loyalist camp,” she said.

“We will see increased political and regional pressure for Tandja to concede (political) ground.” Several major resources firms have operations in Niger. “We got confirmation on the ground that things were heating up, but ... we don’t know if this affects some of our employees,” said an official at one such firm, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Mr Tandja drew criticism and sanctions after dissolving parliament and orchestrating a constitutional reform in 2009 that gave him added powers and extended his term beyond his second five-year mandate, which expired in December.

Referendum

The constitutional referendum in August, condemned internationally and at home, eliminated many of the remaining checks on Tandja’s authority, abolished term limits, and gave him an initial three more years in power without an election. The constitutional court declared that vote illegal, to which Mr Tandja responded by abolishing the court and replacing its members with his own appointees.

West Africa’s regional bloc suspended Niger in October and the United States terminated trade benefits for the country in December, while former colonial power France also criticised Mr Tandja last year. Despite political turmoil and occasional Tuareg rebellions, Niger has attracted billions of dollars in investment from major international firms seeking to tap its vast mineral wealth, including France’s Areva and Canada’s Cameco.