As Niger FM Visits Tehran, EU Decides To Sanction Coup Leaders

As Niger's Foreign Minister is in Tehran, the European Union has introduced sanctions targeting individuals and entities linked to the military junta that seized power in July.

Foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said, "The EU has from the very beginning condemned the coup d'état in Niger in the strongest terms."

The newly established framework empowers the EU to impose sanctions on those responsible for actions that it deems 'jeopardize Niger's peace, stability, and security, undermine its constitutional order, or involve severe violations of human rights and international humanitarian law'. In doing so, the EU seeks to align and reinforce the actions taken by the West African regional organization ECOWAS.

Bakary Yaou Sangare, the Foreign Minister of Niger's military government, was also in Tehran. On Monday, he met with Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, Iran's Foreign Minister.

State news agency IRNA described the ousted Nigerien president, Mohamed Bazoum, as being aligned with the West and noted that he was removed from office by the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland.

The junta in Niger opposes the presence of French forces in Africa and aligns itself with Russia. In September, Russian military officials made a visit to Africa, signaling Russia's efforts to bolster its role on the continent.