Guinea has become the first country to support the rebels who seized power in Niger and expects them to establish stability and consent in the region.
"CNDR [National Committee of Reconciliation and Development, military government of Guinea] is convinced that the new [Nigerien] government will do everything possible to guarantee stability and consent in Niger and in the subregion," the Guinean presidential office said in a statement, published on social media.
The Guinean government also said that sanctions imposed against Niger by the 15-nation Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in response to the military takeover can not be an "option to solve the problem, but can cause a humanitarian disaster, which can expand beyond the Nigerien borders."
Last Wednesday, Niger's presidential guard detained President Mohamed Bazoum. The guard's commander, Gen. Abdourahmane Tchiani, proclaimed himself the country's new leader.
On July 30, ECOWAS gave Niger's coup leaders one week to return the detained president to power or it could use "all measures," including military, to restore order in the country.
Moreover, ECOWAS suspended all financial aid to Niger, froze the assets of the rebels, their families and supporters, and imposed a ban on commercial flights to and from the country.
In 2021, CNDR came to power in Guinea through a military uprising. The military government announced the dissolution of the old government, the abolition of the current constitution, and the closure of borders. In response to the coup, the ECOWAS countries imposed a wide range of personal sanctions against participants of the uprising.