Niger Coup Leader's Warning Sparks Concerns over Military Intervention and Aid Suspension

The leaders of the recent coup in Niger have warned regional and Western powers against military intervention to reinstate the ousted president, claiming that regional body Ecowas was preparing to approve a "plan of aggression against Niger". Meanwhile, coup supporters protested outside the French embassy in Niamey after France stopped aid, with concerns rising that Niger could pivot towards Russia. The coup has prompted condemnation from the African Union and Western nations, but the leader of Russia's Wagner mercenary group reportedly described it as a triumph. Armies have seized power in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Guinea in recent years, with France withdrawing its troops from Mali amid growing hostility from the junta.