Niger, like many African states created by European colonialism, has had several periods — four — of military rule since its independence in 1960. But since 2011, it has held three democratic elections, it saw former President Mahamadou Issoufou respect the constitution’s term limits, and it has generally been on a democratizing path. That has been no small accomplishment for a country surrounded by neighbors that are facing insurgencies, extremism and armed coups.
The soldiers who seized power this morning said they did so because of poor security. This is almost a default excuse, used by coup-makers as a matter of routine. Niger, like its neighbors, does face violence from violent extremist groups, including factions with links to Boko Haram and the Islamic State. But as the experience of neighboring states has shown, military rule tends only to worsen such crises.