NIAMEY, Nov 6 — The European Union has threatened to suspend development aid to Niger in a possible deepening of sanctions over what it calls a “grave violation” of democracy in the West African nation.
The EU sent a letter to Niger President Mamadou Tandja this week giving his government 30 days to open talks aimed at reversing reforms brought in by a controversial August referendum extending his mandate and broadening his powers.
“The EU considers the referendum of August 4, 2009, a grave violation of the constitution and demands a return to constitutional order immediately,” the EU said in a letter seen by Reuters today.
“The EU invites authorities to consultations in order to examine, in depth, the situation in Niger within 30 days,” it said, noting that accords between the two countries allowed for a suspension of aid as a last resort.
The EU already froze some €180 million (RM911 million) in budgetary aid to the uranium mining powerhouse. A remaining €276 million of development allocated for the 2008-13 period is now at stake. Humanitarian aid, which amounts to smaller sums, will be untouched.
Niger’s rich uranium reserves have attracted billions in foreign mining investment, though the country has become increasingly isolated from the international community after Tandja this year moved to tighten his grip on power.
The West African regional bloc ECOWAS suspended Niger’s membership last month over a legislative poll, boycotted by opposition, in which Tandja’s party won a comfortable majority and further secured control.
Analysts have said the moves by the Tandja, in power since being elected to office in 1999, reflect a step backwards for democracy in Niger and could set a bad example for leaders in the rest of the West African region.
The desert nation recently signed a peace deal with restive Tuareg rebels in the north, easing instability in a region where al Qaeda cells also operate. — Reuters
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