2010 Nigerien coup d'etat

2010 Nigerien coup d'état
Date 18 February 2010 Location Niger Result Government overthrown Establishment of the Supreme Council for the Restoration of Democracy January 2011 free and fair parliamentary and presidential elections
Belligerents
Government of Niger	Free Officers
Commanders and leaders
President Mamadou Tandja	Salou Djibo
Strength
	Unknown
Casualties and losses
0	0

A coup d'état occurred in Niger on 18 February 2010. Soldiers attacked the presidential palace in Niamey under weapons fire at midday and captured President Mamadou Tandja, who was chairing a government meeting at the time. Later in the day, the rebels announced on television the formation of the Supreme Council for the Restoration of Democracy (CSRD), headed by chef d'escadron Salou Djibo.

The coup followed a year-long political crisis in Niger related to President Tandja's efforts to extend his mandate beyond December 2009, when his second term was originally scheduled to end. Arguing that the people wanted him to remain in office, Tandja dissolved the National Assembly in May 2009 and subsequently appointed a new Constitutional Court, enabling him to push forward with a constitutional referendum in August 2009 that extended his mandate for an additional three years. The new constitution also enhanced Tandja's power by scrapping the semi-presidential system of government in favor of a presidential system.

The opposition reacted furiously to Tandja's efforts to remain in office and denounced him as a dictator. Tandja also faced strong international and regional criticism as a result of the events of 2009; Niger was suspended from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), and some aid from western countries was halted. While Tandja said that he needed to remain in office to oversee various projects of tremendous economic value, others felt that Niger, as one of the poorest nations in the world, was in a poor position to cope with any degree of isolation. The former minister Mariama Gamatié pointed to a serious and ongoing hunger problem and argued that "we cannot afford [Tandja's] ego."

Although Tandja negotiated with the opposition in talks that were mediated by ECOWAS, the talks were thought to have reached a stalemate by February 2010. The opposition blamed Tandja for the lack of progress and continued to protest his rule; a large protest, over 10,000-strong, was held in Niamey on 14 February 2010.

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