1996 Nigerien Coup D'état
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The 1996 Nigerien coup d'état was a
military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. Militaries are typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with their members identifiable by a d ...
coup d'état A coup d'état (; ; ), or simply a coup , is typically an illegal and overt attempt by a military organization or other government elites to unseat an incumbent leadership. A self-coup is said to take place when a leader, having come to powe ...
which occurred on 27 January 1996 in
Niamey Niamey () is the capital and largest city of Niger. As the Niamey Urban Community (, CUN), it is a Regions of Niger, first-level division of Niger, surrounded by the Tillabéri Region, in the western part of the country. Niamey lies on the Nige ...
,
Niger Niger, officially the Republic of the Niger, is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is a unitary state Geography of Niger#Political geography, bordered by Libya to the Libya–Niger border, north-east, Chad to the Chad–Niger border, east ...
. It ousted Niger's first democratically elected president,
Mahamane Ousmane Mahamane Ousmane (born 20 January 1950), press release no. 179, is a Nigerien politician. Elected as the List of heads of state of Niger, fourth President of Niger at 43 years old, he is the youngest elected president in Africa. He was also the f ...
after nearly three years in power and installed General
Ibrahim Baré Maïnassara General Ibrahim Baré Maïnassara (9 May 1949 – 9 April 1999) was a Nigerien military officer and diplomat who ruled Niger from 1996 until his assassination. He seized and lost power in military coups. Baré Maïnassara, a Maouri, a subgro ...
as head of state.
Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...
Hama Amadou Hama Amadou (3 March 1950 – 23 October 2024) was a Nigerien politician who was Prime Minister of Niger from 1995 to 1996 and again from 2000 to 2007. He was also Secretary-General of the National Movement for the Development of Society (MNSD- ...
was arrested in the coup and several soldiers and presidential guards were killed in the fighting.Niger's Elected President Ousted in Military Coup
New York Times, January 28, 1996


Background

On 27 March 1993, Niger's first democratic presidential elections were held under a constitutional inspired by the that of the
French Fifth Republic The Fifth Republic () is France's current republic, republican system of government. It was established on 4 October 1958 by Charles de Gaulle under the Constitution of France, Constitution of the Fifth Republic.. The Fifth Republic emerged fr ...
.
Mahamane Ousmane Mahamane Ousmane (born 20 January 1950), press release no. 179, is a Nigerien politician. Elected as the List of heads of state of Niger, fourth President of Niger at 43 years old, he is the youngest elected president in Africa. He was also the f ...
was elected
President of the Republic The President of the Republic is a title used for heads of state and/or heads of government in countries having republican form of government. Designation In most cases the president of a republic is elected, either: * by direct universal s ...
with 55.42% of the vote against
Mamadou Tandja Mamadou Tandja (1938 – 24 November 2020) was a Nigerien politician who was List of heads of state of Niger, President of Niger from 1999 to 2010. He was President of the National Movement for the Development of Society (MNSD) from 1991 to 1999 ...
, the leader of the National Movement for the Development of Society (MNSD). During his presidency, Ousmane was confronted by social and economic crises, as well as a Tuareg rebellion. He signed a peace treaty with the Tuaregs on 24 April 1995. However, following a reversal of alliances, Ousmane found himself in a minority position in the Nigerian Parliament. He called for early legislative elections in February 1995, which were won by the MNSD, the main opposition party. A confidant of Mamadou Tandja,
Hama Amadou Hama Amadou (3 March 1950 – 23 October 2024) was a Nigerien politician who was Prime Minister of Niger from 1995 to 1996 and again from 2000 to 2007. He was also Secretary-General of the National Movement for the Development of Society (MNSD- ...
, became prime minister under a
cohabitation Cohabitation is an arrangement where people who are not legally married live together as a couple. They are often involved in a Romance (love), romantic or Sexual intercourse, sexually intimate relationship on a long-term or permanent basis. ...
with president Ousmane, giving way to a complex political situation in a still yet nascent democracy.Thomas Sotinel, «Un putschiste en campagne au Niger» (in French), ''Le Monde'', 7 juillet 1996
lire en ligne
.
The conflict between the president and the prime minister paralyzed the country for almost one year, while the economic situation was already catastrophic following a stalemate in negotiations with financial backers due to political instability, falling prices for Niger's only export, uranium, and a depreciation of the
Nigerian naira The naira (sign: ₦; code: NGN; , , , ) is the currency of Nigeria. One naira is divided into 100 ''kobo''. The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) is the sole issuer of legal tender money throughout the Federal Republic of Nigeria. It controls t ...
that cancelled out the effect of the
CFA franc CFA franc (, ) is the name of two currencies used by 210 million people (as of 2023) in fourteen African countries: the West African CFA franc (where "CFA" stands for , i.e. "African Financial Community" in English), used in eight West African c ...
's devaluation. Additionally, an epidemic of
meningitis Meningitis is acute or chronic inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord, collectively called the meninges. The most common symptoms are fever, intense headache, vomiting and neck stiffness and occasion ...
in 1995 further compounded the dire situation, with a largely inadequate response from Niger's public health authorities. At the head of the Niger Armed Forces' general staff was
Ibrahim Baré Maïnassara General Ibrahim Baré Maïnassara (9 May 1949 – 9 April 1999) was a Nigerien military officer and diplomat who ruled Niger from 1996 until his assassination. He seized and lost power in military coups. Baré Maïnassara, a Maouri, a subgro ...
, a paratrooper officer who had participated in Seyni Kountché's 1974 coup d'état that deposed Niger's first president,
Hamani Diori Hamani Diori (6 June 1916 – 23 April 1989) was the first President of the Republic of Niger. He was appointed to that office in 1960, when Niger gained independence from France. Although corruption was a common feature of his administration, ...
. After the coup, Baré Maïnassara remained in constant close proximity to Niger's ruling circles. As an ex military attaché and ambassador in Paris, he was also well known to Niger's former colonial ruler,
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
, a country whose influence and control has remained decisive. Baré Maïnassara threatened Ousmane with military intervention for the first time in 1995, and a short-lived compromise was stricken. However, after only a few weeks, tensions reached new heights, leading Ousmane to threaten to dissolve the
National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repr ...
and the parliamentary majority in turn threatening to impeach Ousmane.Jacques de Barrin, «La communauté internationale contraint la junte nigérienne à hâter le retour des civils au pouvoir» (in French), ''Le Monde'', 22 février 199
(lire en ligne
.


Events

On the afternoon of 27 January 1996, the army, commanded by colonel Baré Maïnassara, entered into action by imprisoning the three highest ranking members of the government and suspending political parties. Several soldiers and members of the presidential guard were killed during the combat. The leadership of Niger was subsequently given to a twelve-member Council of National Safety with Baré Maïnassara assuming its leadership role.


Aftermath

The Nigerien constitution was revised following the coup to reinforce the presidential powers. However, under international pressure, Baré Maïnassara was forced to hold new presidential elections. For these elections, political parties were reauthorized in May 1996. These political parties presented four candidates, including the recently deposed Mahamane Ousmane and Mamadou Tanja, leader of the MNSD. Baré Maïnassara, who had since declared himself general "at the request of the chiefdom," was the fifth presidential candidate, insisting on his independence from the other participating parties. The elections were held in July 1996, but their legitimacy was questionable.Rédaction LM, « Paris « s'interroge » sur la régularité de l'élection présidentielle au Niger» (in French), ''Le Monde'', 12 juillet 1996

Collectif,
Tchad, Niger, escroqueries à la démocratie
', Paris, Éd. l'Harmattan, 1996, p. 111
Baré Maïnassara dissolved the independent National Electoral Commission in order to achieve victory. Legislative elections were held in November 1996 but were boycotted by opposition parties in protest against the election fraud that took place during the presidential elections of July 1996, and thus every seat in the National Assembly was won by candidates favorable to Baré Maïnassara.Abdourhamane Boubacar Issa, Â

», ''Revue Politique africaine'', vol. 2, no 74, 1999, p. 85-94
Baré Maïnassara was able to use these elections to hold onto power despite his stated intention to return the government to civilian rule as soon as possible. Maïnassara stayed in power until April 1999, when his regime was overthrown and he was assassinated in the 1999 Nigerien coup d'état.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:1996 Nigerien coup d'etat Nigerien coup d'etat, 1996 Nigerien Coup D'etat, 1996 Nigerien coup d'etat Nigerien coup d'etat Military coups in Niger