NIGER: Do two wrongs make a right? Or: Who to condemn?
DAKAR, 19 February 2010 (IRIN): Opposition parties, Nigers largest labour union and members of civil society announced their support on Friday for a military ruling council that abducted President Mamadou Tandja the day before and suspended a contested constitution.
While the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has condemned the coup as an unconstitutional “ascension to power”, Chris Fomunyoh, the regional director of West and Central Africa for the US-based NGO, National Democratic Institute, said President Tandja had been hanging on to power illegally.
– I would never say a coup is a good thing, but Tandja had so wronged the people of Niger that if his wrongs can be righted then democracy may have a chance to regain its cause in Niger, he noted.
In the past year, President Tandja dissolved the parliament and constitutional court and organized a contested and boy-cotted referendum (folkeafstemning) last August that removed presiden-tial term limits.
His intention was to stay in power until at least 2013, and since he has procee-ded with legislative elections in October that led to suspension of the extremely poor Sahelian country from the regional trade bloc, ECOWAS.
Aid
The European Union then suspended more than 600 million US dollar (3,2 milliarder DKR) in annual budgetary support and development aid. The US froze an estimated 50 million dollar of non-humanitarian support.
– Niger was saved today (18 February), animal trader Habibou El Hadj Manzo told IRIN in the northern desert town Agadez.
– Even if there were some deaths, the coup is forgivable because if nothing is done, it is the entire population that will die of hunger and thirst, he stressed.
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