Sawt Falasteen - EU, France suspend cooperation and aid to Niger after coup

General Abdourahamane Tiani, head of the elite Presidential Guard, on Friday declared himself the West African country's new leader, two days after his forces confined democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum to his official residence.

Tiani said the putsch was a response to "the degradation of the security situation" linked to jihadist bloodshed as well as corruption and economic woes.

Niger's neighbours Mali and Burkina Faso have both undergone two military coups since 2020, fuelled by anger at a failure to quash long-running insurgencies by jihadists linked to the Islamic State group and Al-Qaeda.

The African Union's Peace and Security Council asked "military personnel to immediately and unconditionally return to their barracks and restore constitutional authority, within a maximum period of fifteen (15) days," after a meeting Friday on the coup.

It condemned the coup in "the strongest terms possible" and expressed deep concern over the "alarming resurgence" of military overthrows in Africa.

France's foreign ministry said it was suspending development aid and budgetary support to Niger, one of the world's poorest countries, while calling for "an immediate return to constitutional order" and Bazoum's reinstatement.

The EU's diplomatic chief Josep Borrell meanwhile said the bloc would not recognise the putschists and announced the indefinite suspension of security cooperation with Niger with immediate effect as well as budgetary aid.

Bazoum "remains the only legitimate president of Niger," the EU statement said, calling for his immediate release and holding the coup leaders to account for the safety of the president and his family.

Borrell said the EU was ready to support future decisions taken by West Africa's regional bloc, "including the adoption of sanctions".

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken offered Niger's ousted leader Washington's steadfast support and warned those detaining him that they were "threatening years of successful cooperation and hundreds of millions of dollars of assistance".

- Regional leaders to meet -

Leaders from the Economic Community of West African States regional bloc will meet on Sunday in the Nigerian capital Abuja to discuss the coup.

French President Emmanuel Macron was due to chair a meeting of his Defence and National Security Council on the coup on Saturday afternoon, the presidency said.

France has 1,500 soldiers in Niger, while the United States has around 1,000 troops there.

Tiani, 59, has shunned the limelight despite a stellar military career which has seen him lead the 700-member presidential guard since 2011.

Sources close to Bazoum told AFP that he had been considering replacing Tiani as the head of the elite unit and that relations between the two men had deteriorated in the past months.

Landlocked Niger often ranks last in the UN's Human Development Index, despite vast deposits of uranium.

It has had a turbulent political history since gaining independence in 1960, with four coups as well as numerous other attempts -- including two previously against Bazoum.

The 63-year-old has been one of a dwindling group of elected presidents and pro-Western leaders in the Sahel as juntas in Mali and Burkina Faso turn away from traditional allies and towards Russia.

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X.AbuJaber--SF-PST