Nigerian Army Invading Niger After Coup? – Fact Emerge As Video Goes Viral

Nigerian Army Invading Niger After Coup? – Fact Emerge As Video Goes Viral

In late July 2023, the government of President Mohamed Bazoum in Niger, a West African country, was ousted in a sudden takeover known as a coup d’état by the presidential guard…CONTINUE READING

Bazoum, who was elected president in 2021, was detained by the coup leaders in the presidential palace during the early stages of the coup. He remained in custody at the presidential palace at the time of this report.

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The coup leaders dissolved Niger’s constitution, suspended state institutions, implemented border closures, and imposed a curfew. The leader of the presidential guards, Omar Tchiani, declared himself the head of a new military government called a junta.

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On July 26, the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas), a regional political and economic grouping representing 15 countries in the region, including Niger, condemned the coup.

The chairman of Ecowas, Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, released a statement expressing support for the elected government in Niger and asserting the sub-region’s commitment to defending and preserving constitutional order.

A video was circulated on TikTok on July 27, claiming to show the Nigerian army in Niger.

In the video, soldiers in combat uniforms are seen in a settlement with explosions and gunfire in the background.

The video can be found on TikTok here and here, and on Facebook here and here.

However, this video is not related to the recent events in Niger.

Several clues suggest that the video was shot in Sierra Leone, a country where English is spoken.

The presence of what appears to be part of the Associated Press (AP) logo and the fact that a civilian is heard shouting “we want peace” in English indicate that the video is not from Niger.

Upon further investigation, it was found that the original video was uploaded on the AP Archive YouTube channel in 2015, but it dates back to February 1998.

The video pertains to Sierra Leone during the civil war that took place from 1991 to 2002. The video shows events related to Sierra Leone’s civil war and the Nigerian-led intervention force known as ECOMOG that operated during that time.

Therefore, the video does not depict the Nigerian army in Niger in July 2023.

Credit: Africa Check