US officially recognised coup took place in Niger, not the military regime

This article is more than one year old.
Published on October 24, 2023 at 19:26
4 min read
By Erin FLANAGAN

The United States maintains about 1,100 military personnel in Niger as part of an ongoing anti-jihadist mission in the West African country. However, the July 2023 coup, which saw former president Mohamed Bazoum ousted by the military, has raised questions about the future relationship between Niger and its Western allies. A post on X, formerly Twitter, claims the US State Department officially recognised the new regime in a recent statement. However, AFP Fact Check found the dispatch simply concluded that a military coup had taken place in Niger and described how it would impact American aid to the country.

"The US has officially recognised the Nigerien coup regime and called for a democratic transition. Which means that Pablo Ecowas is now fully out in the cold and his desired war is 100% not happening anymore. Congratulations to the people of Africa (sic),” reads a post on X, published on October 10, 2023.

A screenshot of the misleading post, taken on October 23, 2023

Liked more than 10,000 times, it includes an announcement from the US State Department officially categorising the situation in Niger as a military coup d’etat.

The phrase "Pablo Ecowas" likely refers to Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, the current chair of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), a regional bloc promoting economic cooperation among its 15 member states (archived here).

A screenshot of ECOWAS member countries taken from the official website on October 23, 20323

ECOWAS imposed hefty sanctions on Niger following the coup and repeatedly warned of possible military intervention to reinstate Bazoum if peaceful attempts to resolve the crisis were to fail (archived here).

Niger remains under sanctions, but as of publication, ECOWAS has not used force to restore civilian rule in the landlocked country (archived here).

The account that shared the misleading post belongs to David Hundeyin, a Nigerian journalist living in Ghana who regularly shares content disparaging Tinubu (archived here and here).

Hundeyin has claimed that his life would be in danger if he returned to his home country because of his work as a journalist (archived here).

While the US has signalled its intent (archived here) to engage with Niger to address broader security issues in the region, the claim that the US recognised the military junta as legitimate is misleading.

Official statement

On October 10, 2023, the State Department categorised the government ouster in Niger as a military coup d’etat (archived here).

Following our conclusion that a military coup d’etat has taken place in Niger and pursuant to section 7008, the U.S. is suspending most assistance to the government of Niger. Any resumption of aid will depend on concrete actions to restore democracy. https://t.co/i9Oj2Rnz5b
— Matthew Miller (@StateDeptSpox) October 10, 2023

"The United States has concluded that a military coup d’etat has taken place in Niger. Pursuant to section 7008 of the Department of State’s annual appropriations act, the United States is suspending most US assistance to the government of Niger," reads the official notice signed by State Department spokesman Matthew Miller.

Section 7008 is a provision that prohibits providing financial assistance to governments that have taken power via a military coup (archived here).

Legally defining an event as a coup requires proving two key elements.

First, the State Department must determine whether the country’s military played a decisive role in overthrowing the government.

Then, it has to confirm whether or not the deposed leader was "duly elected". In the case of Niger, both criteria were met.

A document from the Congressional Research Service detailing the elements of a coup, screenshot taken on October 23, 2023

Before the coup, the US provided foreign assistance to the government of Niger totalling nearly US$200 million.

While "life-saving humanitarian, good and health assistance" continues uninterrupted, the State Department made it clear that the resumption of US assistance to the government required reinstating "democratic governance in a clear and credible timeframe".

The US also reaffirmed its support for efforts by ECOWAS to "achieve a return to democratic rule".

State Department comments

AFP Fact Check contacted the US State Department to confirm its Niger policy and stance towards ECOWAS.

"On October 10, the United States suspended certain assistance to the government of Niger due to the military coup d’etat," the department told AFP Fact Check.

"We encourage all parties to work with ECOWAS, which is leading efforts to resolve the political crisis in Niger," it added.

"The United States supports ECOWAS’ efforts to find a peaceful diplomatic solution to usher in civilian democratic governance in a quick and credible timeframe."

Secretary of State Antony Blinken met ECOWAS representatives on September 22, 2023, where he further outlined the steps the US has taken to "support ECOWAS pressure" on the military junta to restore democracy in Niger (archived here).

AFP Fact Check has debunked several false claims about the coup in Niger, which you can read about here.

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