Russia Warns Armed Intervention 'Unlikely to Contribute to Peace' in Niger

Russia has warned against the prospects of military intervention in Niger as a coalition of neighboring West African states contemplates the use of force to reverse a military takeover of the country in a crisis that has threatened to destabilize the region.

Days after an August 6 deadline imposed by the Economic Coalition of West African States (ECOWAS) for Nigerien Major General Abdourahamane "Oman" Tchiani and his newly established National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland (CNSP) to cede power back to President Mohamed Bazoum passed without action, ECOWAS was set to hold a new extraordinary summit on Thursday.

With an armed response still on the table, many global powers have weighed in on the conflict, including Russia, which has accelerated its ties across Africa in recent years among countries both supportive and critical of Niger's new junta rule. Two African states that also have military leadership, Burkina Faso and Mali, have threatened to treat any ECOWAS intervention in Niger as a declaration of war.

Moscow, for its part, has expressed hope for a peaceful settlement rather than conflict.

Responding to Newsweek's question during a press briefing Wednesday, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Alexey Zaitsev expressed Moscow's "hope that the decision will be found within the framework of a diplomatic settlement."

And he reiterated Russia's "negative attitude to any forceful methods."

Speaking to reporters at the briefing, Zaitsev expressed Russia's concern about the recent developments in Niger, calling Tchiani's takeover a "military coup."

"We proceed from the assumption that the forces of ECOWAS and sovereign states are going to help to achieve lasting peace in Niger and to stabilize the situation in the subregion," Zaitsev said.

In this context, Zaitsev said Russia took note of "the negative response of a whole range of neighboring countries," including Mali, Burkina Faso, Chad and Algeria, regarding a potential military intervention in Niger.

"We think that an African solution should be found to that problem, and support African efforts to resolve the crisis," he added. "We think that intervention is unlikely to contribute to peace in Niger."

Zaitsev also rejected allegations put forth by Ukrainian presidential office adviser Mykhailo Podolyak, who claimed last wrote last week on social media website X, formerly known as Twitter, that "it is now absolutely clear that Russia is behind the so-called 'military coup' in Niger," calling it part of "a standard Russian tactic: to divert attention, seize the moment and expand the conflict."

Podolyak used the opportunity to call for the removal of Russian President Vladimir Putin from power to "guarantee the inviolability of rules and stability to the world" as Moscow's war in the neighboring country approaches the year-and-a-half mark.

In response, Zaitsev claimed that "Ukrainian politicians change their statements 100 times a day" noting that "even Western partners, who often criticize Russia without reason, have not said anything like this."

"There is no substantive background here," Zaitsev added, "it's just empty talk."

U.S. officials have said there were no indications that Russia or its leading private military company, the Wagner Group, played any role in Niger's upheaval. At the same time, they have alleged that the Kremlin and Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin may seek to capitalize on the unrest.

"We have concerns when we see something like the Wagner Group possibly manifesting itself in different parts of the Sahel, and here's why we're concerned: because every single place that this group, Wagner Group, has gone, death, destruction, and exploitation have followed," U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told BBC News in an interview that aired Tuesday. "Insecurity has gone up, not down. It hasn't been a response to the needs of the countries in question for greater security."

"I think what happened and what continues to happen in Niger was not instigated by Russia or by Wagner," he added. "But to the extent that they try to take advantage of it—and we see a repeat of what's happened in other countries, where they've brought nothing but bad things in their wake—that wouldn't be good."

The Associated Press reported Saturday that Niger's deputy CNSP leader requested aid from Russia's leading private military company, the Wagner Group, during visits to neighboring Burkina Faso and Mali. Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin also welcomed Tchiani's takeover.

As to the fate of roughly 1,000 U.S. troops present in Niger as part of counterterrorism operations in the region, Blinken declined to speculate on hypotheticals surrounding the events in the country during the BBC News interview, though he did voice support for ECOWAS' handling of the situation.

Earlier, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller acknowledged on Monday that U.S. officials have been in "direct contact with military leaders" in Niger, "urging them to step aside," as well as being in communication with Bazoum.

That same day, Nuland traveled to Niger to speak with the CNSP, though she described the conversations as "extremely frank and at times quite difficult." She said she was refused access to Bazoum, and did not meet with Tchiani.

On Tuesday, the CNSP refused an ECOWAS delegation, citing recently imposed land and air restrictions and the sanctions imposed by the West African coalition against Niger.

France, which also has about 1,500 soldiers deployed to Niger to conduct operations against militant groups tied to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State (ISIS), has voiced support for ECOWAS as well.

Niger is just the latest country in Africa to experience a rise in negative sentiments toward former colonizer France and its military role in the region, along with an increase in popular support for Russia. Amid this trend, French troops have withdrawn from Burkina Faso, the Central African Republic and Mali over the past year and refocused their efforts in Niger, where their fate remains uncertain.