Niger coup seen as chance to end political crisis

Feb 19, 2010, 15:33 GMT

Nairobi/Niamey, Niger - There has been a distinct lack of sympathy on show for Niger's President Mamadou Tandja, deposed Thursday in a coup and now being held in an army barracks.

International condemnation followed the putsch, but most of it was tempered by comments that the power-hungry president only had himself to blame and hope that the dramatic developments could end a political crisis in the uranium-rich nation.

Tandja, 71, drew international criticism last year when instead of stepping down at the end of his second term he engineered a referendum that gave him an extra three years in office and another shot at the presidency in the next elections.

'The muted reaction from the wider population and from the regional and international community shows it is seen as a window of opportunity for discourse,' Rolake Akinola, senior Africa analyst with London-based security consultancy Control Risks, told the German Press Agency dpa.

The president, a former army officer, came to power in 1999 in the coup-prone country, which has undergone long periods of military rule since it broke from France in 1960.

He argued that he had to extend his rule beyond the constitutional limit to oversee mining and energy deals with foreign firms and pull the former French colony out of poverty.

Attempts by West African regional grouping ECOWAS to mediate with the furious opposition failed and tension had been growing, making the coup less than surprising for many.

The grandly-titled Supreme Council for the Restoration of Democracy (CSRD) is now in charge, and shortly after taking control, it tried to assure the nation of its good intentions.

'We ask the population to keep calm and remain united around the ideals of the CSRD, which will be able to make Niger an example of democracy and good governance,' Colonel Goukoye Abdul Karimou, surrounded by his co-plotters, said on state television.

It is unclear if the CSRD will live up to its name and promises. But now that calm has returned after Niamey's residents were thrown into a panic by the gunfire and explosions that briefly engulfed the presidential palace, there is relief that Tandja has gone.

'People are generally happy about the coup,' a Niamey resident, who wished to remain anonymous, told dpa. 'He (Tandja) brought it on himself.'

The United States and the African Union both indicated in statements that Tandja could have no complaints and highlighted the chance for a fresh start.

'President Tandja has been trying to extend his mandate in office,' State Department spokesman PJ Crowley said Thursday. 'Obviously, that may well have been ... an act on his behalf that precipitated this act.'

Crowley said the coup showed the need for Niger to move forward and hold elections. Now that Tandja is out of the picture, the way would seem to be clear for just that.

But coup leaders in Guinea - whose attempts to cling onto power led to a massacre of 157 opposition protestors last year - proved that military promises to quickly reinstate democracy are often not met.

Akinole warned that the indulgent international opinion could fade without 'clarity and signs of transition'.

Squadron leader Salou Djibo is now in charge of the country, although the junta said government business would continue to be run by the heads of ministries.

Little is known about Djibo and Karimou, but one of the other coup leaders is purported to be Djibril Hamidou, who was the spokesman for the 1999 junta that ousted Colonel Ibrahim Bare and led to the elections that brought Tandja to power.

It isn't clear how much support the new regime has, although the short duration of the fighting and low casualties - only three people died - suggests the military is largely behind the junta.

However, Akinola still identified this as a risk factor for more unrest.

'It is not clear if the military is behind the current crop of officers, so there is possibly some volatility within the military hierarchy and things could start to unfold in the coming days,' she said.