EU perfects plans to sanction Niger after July coup

Niger’s economy will face yet another acid test as the European Union says it has perfected moves to impose sanctions on the West African country after the highly condemned coup that removed President Mohamed Bazoum from office. The proposed sanctions, according to the EU, will strengthen actions by the regional ECOWAS to end the coup…

European Union countries agreed on Monday to impose sanctions on members of the Niger junta that took power in July.

According to the EU Council, the new framework would empower the EU to sanction persons and entities responsible for activities that endanger Niger’s peace, stability, and security, undermine the constitutional order, or represent significant abuses of human rights or international humanitarian law.

The EU hopes the sanctions can strengthen actions adopted by the West African regional body ECOWAS.

Speaking on the framework, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, said “the EU has from the very beginning condemned the coup d’état in Niger in the strongest terms,”

“With today’s decision, the EU strengthens its support to ECOWAS’ efforts and sends a clear message: military coups bear costs.” He added.

Niger has been facing the biting effects of sanctions on it by the regional ECOWAS bloc and other international communities.

In recent times, the government said its projected spending for 2023 has been cut by 40%, severely stifling the economy in one of the world’s poorest countries.

Niger largely depends on aid from other countries while its economic activities center on subsistence agriculture, animal husbandry, re-export trade, and export of uranium, the radioactive metal widely used for nuclear energy and treating cancer.

The country has been plagued by long-running insecurity caused by violent extremist insurgency groups and the cut in spending could affect its internal security structure.