Following the July 26 coup in Niger, Catholic Bishops of the Burkina-Niger Episcopal Conference have expressed concern that a military intervention in the African nation could unravel the fragile security situation in the Sahel, leading to a further spread in jihadism.
In an August 4 release signed by the President of the Episcopal Conference, Bishop Laurent Birfuoré Dabiré of Dori in Burkina Faso, the bishops expressed concern that an attack on Niger in attempts to restore constitutional order would lead to “a second Libya.”
The reference was to a 2011 NATO-led intervention in Libya that resulted in the overthrow of the regime of Muammar Gaddafi, which many analysts blame for plunging the nation and surrounding region into chaos.
On July 26, Niger’s democratically-elected President, Mohamed Bazoum, was overthrown, and the commander of the presidential guard declared himself to be in charge in a televised address.
General Abdourahmane Tchiani declared: “We have decided to intervene and seize our responsibilities” in order to assert authority over the nation.
That announcement met with jubilation across the streets of Niger, with citizens chanting anti-French rhetoric and tearing down French flags, reflecting popular impressions that the ousted leader was a French stooge.
In response, the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, threatened that it would take military action if Bazoum wasn’t reinstated within a week. The chair of the regional body, Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, said that its members “shall not waiver or flinch in our resolve to defend and preserve constitutional order.”