Today, the Canadian Foreign Ministry announced an end to bi-lateral development aid to Niger. Since October 2020, Canada has provided a development cooperation program with Niger, which was to reach an annual budget of $10 million by 2026. The program disbursed $2.71M USd in 2021-2022. The announcement reads below:
“The July 26 coup attempt seriously undermines democracy and stability in Niger and the Sahel. Attacking the rule of law undermines the progress of the democratically elected government towards peace, stability and development in Niger.
In response to the coup attempt in Niger, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Honorable Mélanie Joly, and the Minister of International Development, the Honorable Ahmed Hussen, today announced that Canada is suspending aid development that directly supports the Nigerien government.
Canada reiterates its solidarity with the people of Niger and its support for democracy, peace, inclusive governance and the rule of law. In the current context, it would be impossible to maintain direct support to the Government of Niger while guaranteeing the use of the sums for the intended purposes and in an effective manner.“
This announcement came at the same time as Algerian President Tebboune vowed that his country would not use force against it’s neighbors as France announced its intent to back an ECOWAS military intervention. He also said that a conflict in Niger will ignite a regional war in the Sahel.
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With the reported arrival of Wagner forces in Niamey from Mali, the lines are quickly being drawn in what many analysts fear could be a regional war. On one side, you have Wagner and Russian proxy governments in Burkina Faso and Mali, which both border Niger. On the other side are the primary nations of ECOWAS with their Western backers, France and Belgium. The looming deadline for the coup leaders is tomorrow, at which point the world will see if these threats from Nigeria will bare any fruit.
