Niger observers link coup to president’s support of EU migration policies

Observers have linked Mohamed Bazoum’s support for European Union policies aimed at stifling migration routes through north Africa to his ousting as president of Niger last month.

Army officers toppled Bazoum on 26 July, as Niger became the fourth west African country since 2020 to have a coup, following Burkina Faso, Guinea and Mali.

Domestically, Bazoum had been closely associated with a law against people smuggling that was brought in by Niger’s government with the support of EU…