Niger’s junta pleads for help from Russian mercenary group Wagner

Niger’s new military junta has pleaded for help from mercenary group Wagner.

The deadline nears for rebels to release the country’s ousted president or face possible miliary intervention by the West African regional bloc.

Wassim Nasr, a journalist and senior research fellow at the Soufan Center, told The Associated Press of the junta’s new plans to turn to Russia for support.

Wagner launched a short-lived rebellion of their own last month, when they marched on Moscow.

Their leader Yevgeny Prigozhin was later exiled to Belarus after calling off the march to avoid ‘further bloodshed’.

The request from Niger came during a visit by a coup leader, Gen. Salifou Mody, to neighboring Mali, where he made contact with someone from Wagner.

He said three Malian sources and a French diplomat confirmed the meeting first reported by France 24.

Mr Nasr saoid: ‘They need (Wagner) because they will become their guarantee to hold onto power.’

Wagner is said to be considering the request.

Troops from the mercenary group have been deployed across several conflict areas in Africa in recent years.

A Western military official, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment, told the AP they have also heard reports that the junta asked for help from Wagner in Mali.

Niger’s junta faces a Sunday deadline set by the regional bloc, known as ECOWAS, to release and reinstate the democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum.

He has described himself as a hostage following the rebellion.

Wagner operates in a handful of African countries, including Mali, where human rights groups have accused its forces of deadly abuses.

But, currently, it isn’t possible to say the Kremlin is directly involved in Niger’s coup – experts say.

But ‘clearly, there’s an opportunistic attitude on the part of Russia, which tries to support destabilization efforts wherever it finds them,’ French foreign affairs ministry spokeswoman Anne-Claire Legendre told broadcaster BFM.

For days after Niger’s junta seized power, residents waved Russian flags in the streets.

The spokeswoman described Wagner as a ‘recipe for chaos.’

Some residents rejected the junta’s approach.

‘It’s all a sham,’ said Amad Hassane Boubacar, who teaches at the University of Niamey.

‘They oppose foreign interference to restore constitutional order and legality. But on the contrary, they are ready to make a pact with Wagner and Russia to undermine the constitutional order.

‘They are prepared for the country to go up in flames so that they can illegally maintain their position.’

On Saturday, France’s foreign affairs minister, Catherine Colonna, said the regional threat of force was credible.

‘Coups are no longer appropriate … It’s time to put an end to it,’ she said.

The ministry said France supported the ECOWAS efforts ‘with firmness and determination’ and called for Bazoum and all members of his government to be freed.

But Algeria, which borders Niger to the north, told another visiting ECOWAS delegation that it opposed a military intervention, though it too wants a return to constitutional order.

It’s unclear what a regional intervention would look like, when it would begin or whether it would receive support from Western forces.

Niger’s junta has called on the population to watch for spies, and self-organized defense groups have mobilized at night to monitor cars and patrol the capital.

While some in Niger are bracing for a fight, others are trying to cope with travel and economic sanctions imposed by ECOWAS.

Land and air borders with ECOWAS countries have been closed, while commercial and financial transactions have been suspended.

Residents said the price of goods is rising and there’s limited access to cash.

‘We are deeply concerned about the consequences of these sanctions, especially their impacts on the supply of essential food products, pharmaceuticals, medical equipment, petroleum products and electricity,’ said Sita Adamou, president of Niger’s Association to Defend Human Rights.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.