A substantial Nigerien community resides, comprising students, employees, and traders in Senegal. They all closely monitor the crisis that has unfolded in Niger since the coup d’état on July 29th.
Seated in a circle on plastic chairs, a small group of Nigeriens gathers to discuss, at times fervently, the situation in their home country. Hawa Ly, who has been in Dakar for 13 years, firmly opposes the coup d’état, stating, “It’s worrisome because we hear about embargoes, war. We are in Senegal, but everything happening there, we follow it closely through family, acquaintances, and loved ones, every day.”
Tassiou, a resident of Dakar for seven years, worries about his family residing in Niamey. He laments, “For those of us abroad, we cannot use land or air routes to return to our homeland. Sending money through banks, which we use to assist our families, is no longer possible, thus trade is paralyzed. Transactions aimed at helping our families are blocked.”
Abdourahmane, employed in the financial sector, considers the coup d’état legitimate and opposes any military intervention by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). He remarks, “The Senegalese individuals I converse with, typically at the office, are not in favor of this military intervention. I believe that any African today should not support this intervention, as it would essentially pit Africans against each other.”
While ECOWAS maintains readiness to intervene when the order is given, the organization presently continues to prioritize diplomatic avenues.