Niger opposition accuses president of coup

By MAMANE DALATOU NIAMEY, Niger
African News, AP - 5 months ago

Security forces in Niger on Tuesday arrested the country's main opposition leader, hours after he called for a general strike and accused the president of carrying out the equivalent of a coup by unilaterally dissolving the nation's top court.

The arrest comes amid rising tensions in the desert nation, where President Mamadou Tandja has come under sharp criticism at home and abroad for maneuvering to stay in power after his second five-year term in office expires in December.

The army's paramilitary police arrested opposition leader Mahamadou Issoufou in his home late Tuesday, according to an Associated Press reporter who saw Issoufou in custody.

Hours earlier, Issoufou lashed out at Tandja for dissolving the court, which rejected his bid to hold a referendum that could change the constitution so Tandja could serve another term. The court said such a referendum would be illegal and would violate his oath of office.

Tandja assumed emergency powers last week and used them in a decree Monday to disband the court. The decree calls for the appointment of a new court composed of seven members, three of whom will be appointed by him and a fourth who will be appointed in consultation with him.

"Niger is no longer a state of laws," opposition leader Mahamadou Issoufou told reporters before his arrest. "We are calling on all our supporters to use legal means to resist this coup d'etat."

Issoufou also called for a general strike in the capital, Niamey, on Wednesday, and said a spokesman for the opposition coalition, Morou Amadou, was arrested by police overnight.

Also Monday, the private radio station "Dounia" was shut down by the government after broadcasting an appeal made by Issoufou to the country's army to stop obeying Tandja. Soon after, the armed forces released a statement saying that they remain neutral in the face of the crisis.

After decades of strongman rule, Africa's experiment with democracy is still young. Often even democratically elected leaders — like Tandja — find it difficult to cede power at the end of their constitutionally delineated term. A common strategy for staying in power is trying to change the constitution, either to allow an extra term or else to extend the length of each period in office.