Coup under way in Niger

[MilitarismFTL]

Source: RTE News

A coup attempt is under way in Niger with the country's President Mamadou Tandja described by a senior French official is 'not in a good position'.

Smoke was seen rising from Niger's presidential palace in what an intelligence officer said was a coup attempt President Mamadou Tandja's guardsmen were trying to put down.

President Tandja, ruler of the uranium exporting central African nation for a decade, has come under heavy domestic and international criticism for last year orchestrating a reshuffle of the constitution to entrench and extend his power.

He dissolved parliament and orchestrated a constitutional reform in 2009 that gave him added powers and extended his term beyond his second five-year mandate, which expired in December.

Read more: http://www.rte.ie/news/2010/0218/niger.html

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Just heard this on NPR - whoa.

[maddezmom]

1. BBC: Gunfire heard near Niger presidential palace

Gunfire has been heard coming from the direction of the presidential palace in Niger's capital, Niamey, sparking rumours of a coup attempt.

The BBC's Idy Baraou in Niamey says the firing lasted for half an hour, but it is unclear exactly what has happened.

He has seen soldiers with rifles on the streets near the palace and injured people being rushed to hospital.

Reuters news agency quoted an unnamed intelligence officer saying guards were trying to put down a coup attempt.

Our reporter says there are four military barracks in the area around the palace.

Political tensions have been growing in the West African nation since President Mamadou Tandja changed the constitution last year to allow him to stand for a third term.

more:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/8522227.stm

[Roland99]

2. Who's guarding the yellowcake?

[BunkerHill24]

7. AHAHA

DUzy! :rofl:

[mopinko]

3. whose fingerprints will we find on this one?

after reading 'confessions of an economic hitman' i am forever suspicious of such things.

[Chicago dyke]

10. my thoughts exactly

rare and precious metals and industrial resources in africa will be the next oil. and most of africa is already governed by suspicious and/or undemocratic folks who are more than willing to be dictators for life in exchange for Western and Chinese money and military support.

[bitchkitty]

4. Niger Coup Attempt Underway

Source: Bloomberg.com

By Vernon Wessels

Feb. 18 (Bloomberg) -- A coup attempt is underway in Niger, Agence France-Presse reported, citing an unidentied senior French official.

Niger President Mamadou Tandja is “not in a good position,” the news service cited the official as saying. Several loud explosions and bursts of automatic gunfire were heard in the capital, Niamey, AFP said, citing witnesses.

Last Updated: February 18, 2010 09:06 EST

Read more: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601116&sid=anPl2GpKmJvw

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That's all I can find, so far.

[Warpy]

5. Twitter's got a lot on it

http://twitter.com/#search?q=Niger

Apparently the gunfire, while heavy, only lasted about 90 minutes. No word on whether it was successful, how many dead, and other expected news.

[maddezmom]

6. BBC: Niger's leader Mamadou Tandja 'held by soldiers'

Niger's leader Mamadou Tandja 'held by soldiers'

President Tandja was first voted into office in 1999
Niger President Mamadou Tandja and his cabinet are being held by soldiers after gun battles in the capital, a government source has told the BBC.

Gunfire broke out around the presidential palace at about 1300 local time and continued for 30 minutes, says the BBC's Idy Baraou in Niamey.

Our correspondent says tanks are on the streets and eyewitnesses say injured people have been taken to hospital.

An unnamed senior French official told AFP a coup attempt was under way.

"All I can say is that it would appear that Tandja is not in a good position," he told the news agency on condition of anonymity.

Soldiers captured Mr Tandja while he was chairing his weekly cabinet meeting, the government source said.


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/8522227.stm

[uppityperson]

8. k&r for exposure to coups

[riderinthestorm]

9. This actually is a far more important story than the plane crash in TX

so I'll also K & R.

Nigeria's instability threatens oil supplies globally. And of course there's the uranium. Nigeria's religious extremists gaining control would have some long term dire consequences.

[Flaneur]

11. Uh, Niger, not Nigeria.

[riderinthestorm]

12. Oops!! Definitely time for more coffee and closer readng! Thanks. nt

[Xithras]

13. Not really a bad thing

This guys last term as president was up last year, and he tried to rewrite the constitution to give himself the ability to run a third time (forever, actually, he just wanted to remove all limits). When the Niger supreme court ruled that he didn't have the constitutional authority to alter the constitution, he abolished the legislature, suspended the entire government (including the courts), and has been ruling the country by decree ever since. He transformed a functioning democracy into his own private fiefdom and, because his elected term has expired, is essentially a dictator at this point.

Militaries should exist to protect the people, and not the government. When the government becomes a threat to the people, their intervention can sometimes be justified. This looks to me, at this point, like it may be one of those cases.

[VanW]

14. "'Supreme Council' claims to have suspended constitution"

Niger's constitution has been suspended following a coup bid, a group calling itself the Supreme Council for Restoration of Democracy (CSRD) claimed on Thursday on state radio.

"The Supreme Council for the Restoration of Democracy, of which I am spokesman, has decided to suspend the constitution of the Sixth Republic and dissolve all its institutions," Colonel Goukoye Abdoulkarim said.

He called on the people of Niger to "remain calm and stay united around the ideals postulated by the CSRD" to "make Niger an example of democracy and good governance".

...

According to Africa specialist Douglas Yates, interviewed by FRANCE 24 as the situation in Niamey unfolded, those behind the coup attempt are indeed likely “leaders of the opposition parties, because those are the ones in a position to take power.”

As Yates explained, Niger’s status as one of the world’s biggest uranium producers is a key factor in the political turmoil that has gripped the country, coming to a head on Thursday. “The real prize here is the big uranium contracts,” Yates noted. “Niger is a uranium-dependent country. Most of its trade with the outside world is selling its uranium..<...>..These kinds of contracts have signature bonuses, they also have terms that are negotiated. So he who controls the presidential palace also controls the uranium revenues.”

http://www.france24.com/en/20100218-supreme-council-csrd-claims-suspend-constitution-niger-africa-tandja-coup-

[muriel_volestrangler]

15. Thanks for the link, but it's getting mangled by the DU software

which is stripping the final '-' from it. Let's see if this form works:

'Supreme Council' claims to have suspended constitution

Seems to work OK.

[VanW]

16. Thanks n/t

[Odin2005]

17. Yikes!

[VanW]

18. "US official says Tandja can blame himself for Niger coup"

WASHINGTON (AFP) – A senior US official indicated that Niger's President Mamadou Tandja only has himself to blame for Thursday's coup in the west African nation.
...
"This is a difficult situation," State Department spokesman Philip Crowley told reporters, giving the first US reaction to the coup.

"President Tandja has been trying to extend his mandate in office. And obviously, that may well have been, you know, an act on his behalf that precipitated this act today," he said.

Crowley was quick to stress that the United States does "not in any way, shape or form defend violence of this nature.

"Clearly, we think this underscores that Niger needs to move ahead with the elections and the formation of a new government," he added, noting that Washington still had few details of what actually took place in Niger.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100218/pl_afp/nigerunrestus

[Lars77]

19. Niger soldiers say coup 'patriotic'

The leaders of a military coup in Niger have defended their "patriotic action" and announced the suspension of the country's constitution and the dissolution of all state institutions.

Colonel Goukoye Abdul Karimou, who identified himself as a spokesman for what he called the Supreme Council for the Restoration of Democracy (CSRD), confirmed on Thursday that a coup d'etat had occurred in the West African nation.

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2010/02/2010218225146122602.html

[grantcart]

20. President seized in Niger coup

Source: Al Jazeera English


The president of the West African nation of Niger has been taken hostage after armed soldiers stormed the presidential palace in the capital, Niamey, witnesses said.

At least three soldiers were killed in the violence on Thursday, which came after witnesses reported hearing machine gunfire near the palace where Mamadou Tandja, the country's president, was believed to be holding a meeting.

The military leaders of the coup later announced they had suspended the country's constitution and dissolved all state institutions.

The statement was read over state television by Colonel Goukoye Abdul Karimou, a spokesman for the military group calling itself the Supreme Council for the Restoration of Democracy (CSRD).

Read more: http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2010/02/201021812457200576.html

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Updated Story



The African Union (AU) has suspended Niger after soldiers seized the president and dissolved the country's constitution.

The move, announced after a meeting of the body's peace and security council on Friday, followed condemnation of the coup by France, the former colonial power, and the West African economic bloc, Ecowas.

"As of today, Niger will not be represented in our activities," Mull Sebujja Katende, who presides over the AU peace and security council, said.

"We have condemned the coup and imposed sanctions on Niger. Niger is suspended from all activities of the AU."

[Arctic Dave]

21. I wonder who's baby this one is? Doesn't Niger supply a lot of yellowcake to the world?