A year after Niger's dramatic coup

ABC News quoted a University of Cincinnati expert on the politics of West Africa for context a year after the military conducted a successful coup in Niger.

The military deposed the West African nation's elected government, citing the need to improve security and improve the economy. But little has improved in the 12 months since the military takeover, ABC News reported.

The country is among the poorest in Africa and its economic security has not improved in the face of international sanctions imposed after the coup. 

UC College of Arts and Sciences Associate Professor Alexander Thurston said Niger is not alone in facing uncertainty after armed conflicts. Neighboring Mali and Burkina Faso, too, are dealing with the consequences of political upheaval. 

“The coming years are likely to be difficult and violent in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, given the absence of clear inclusive strategies,” Thurston said in a report in July by the American Enterprise Institute's Critical Threats Project.

The report identified ways that terror groups such as Al Qaeda are trying to make inroads in the region.

Thurston studies Islam and politics in northwest Africa and teaches in UC's School of Public and International Affairs. He has worked extensively across Nigeria, Senegal, Mali, Mauritania and Burkina Faso.

He is author of the 2020 book “Jihadists of North Africa and the Sahel” and the 2019 book “Boko Haram: The history of an African Jihadist Movement.”

Read the ABC News story.

Featured image at top: UC Associate Professor Alexander Thurston was quoted in an ABC report on political upheaval in West Africa. Pictured is the entrance gate to Niger's capital, Niamey. Photo/M.T. Curado