exclusive
In Niger, the military junta is taking action against the EU police training mission. According to research by WDR and NDR The German head of mission and a Dane are currently not allowed to leave the country. The Foreign Office sharply criticizes the approach.
In Niger, the military junta is taking action against the EU police training mission. According to research by WDR and NDR The German head of mission and a Dane are currently not allowed to leave the country. The Foreign Office sharply criticizes the approach.
The military junta in Niger presented the weapons and equipment they had found in the ocher-colored building complex in the Nigerien capital Niamey like trophies. Assault rifles, pistols and motorcycles were cited on local television as supposed evidence that the EU mission, the EU Capacity Building Mission (EUCAP), was allegedly actively involved in destabilizing the country.
On February 19, Nigerien security forces stormed and searched the headquarters of the EU mission EUCAP Sahel Niger – without giving precise reasons and without a search warrant. They also came across the weapons and protective equipment that were intended for the EU representatives’ own protection.
Since 2012, the EU has helped train police officers in Niger to combat drug, human and arms trafficking. At times there were more than 100 trainers on site, and around fifteen EU countries took part, including Germany.
Coup in July 2023
A military junta now rules Niger. In July 2023, members of the presidential guard staged a coup and arrested and deposed the democratically elected head of government Mohamed Bazoum. In December, the new rulers called on the EU to end the training mission and withdraw within the next six months.
According to research by WDR and NDR 24 mission members were able to leave Niger by March 3rd. However, the German head of mission and the Danish head of operations were asked by the Nigerien coup government to remain in the country due to ongoing investigations. You are currently not allowed to leave Niger.
The military junta accuses the EU mission members of being involved in France’s alleged destabilization of the country.
Criticism from the Foreign Office
The action against the EU mission is “completely unacceptable, unfounded and violates international rules,” according to the Foreign Office. Germany and other EU member states supported the European External Action Service (EEAS) “to the best of their ability to ensure the early return of the two remaining mission members.”
The federal government is in close contact with the German head of the EU mission. Last week, a high-ranking delegation from the Foreign Office in Niamey directly advocated for the coup government to leave the country as soon as possible. The plan was actually to have the EU mission EUCAP run smoothly by June of this year.
After the coup against the democratically elected President Bazoum, the head of the presidential guard, General Abdourahamane Tchiani, appointed himself head of state in Niger. The country with around 25 million inhabitants was considered the last democratically governed state in the Sahel region.
Violent changes of power
In recent years there have been violent changes of power in several countries in the region, from Guinea in West Africa to Sudan. Since then, the security situation has deteriorated significantly in the Sahel states of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso. The new regimes there had announced that they wanted to combat the influence of the West, especially France.