NIAMEY— Niger’s military rulers approved a ‘general mobilization’ and officially authorized requisition of both people and goods as the country continues to fight armed groups across the West African nation, as reported by Al Jazeera. According to government statements, “people, property, and services may be requisitioned during general mobilization to contribute to the defense of the homeland.” Officials also emphasized an expectation of swift submission should they be called to serve, arguing that the preservation of national territory and the protection of the country’s 28 million people were the ultimate goals.

Niger has, for over a decade now, been caught in a prolonged conflict with armed groups affiliated with both al-Qaeda and the ISIL (ISIS) group. The conflict has resulted in the deaths of nearly 2,000 people, according to ACLED, an NGO that tracks political violence. Repeated attacks in the Southeast by Boko Haram and its splinter group, the ISIL affiliate in West Africa Province (ISWAP), have also contributed to a stretched Nigerien security force, according to Al-Jazeera.

The decision to further mobilize, which was announced following a Dec. 26 cabinet meeting, marks a serious escalation in this ongoing fight against armed groups and comes 5 years after the country expanded its armed forces and raised the retirement age for senior military officers. It also comes over 2 years after General Abdourahamane Tchiani took power via military coup in July 2023, overthrowing democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum.

Several neighboring countries, including Mali and Burkina Faso, have experienced similar military coups that have coalesced into the creation of a new confederation, the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), which aims (among other things) to coordinate a regional response to armed groups with a joint task force, according to Al Jazeera. The three West African countries have also largely turned their back to the political west, including shared former colonizer France, favoring ties with Russia instead, and withdrew from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) over demands to return to democratic rule.

There are a few concerning trends here. First is the regional perpetuation of conflict. According to Al-Jazeera, armed attacks have intensified since Mali’s military leader, Assimi Goita, took power via coup in 2021. Given the close-knit relations between Mali and Niger, a different result would be surprising– and data from the Africa Center for Strategic Studies indeed indicates a deterioration in both security and economic well-being in the year following Tchiani’s coup. The second concerning trend is the frequency with which coups are being attempted. West Africa’s “coup belt” in Central and West Africa has experienced at least 10 different coup attempts since August 2020, making it one of the most coup-prone areas of the world, according to Al-Jazeera. The frequency of such events makes political and economic stability– and therefore any meaningful growth– a near-impossibility in the region. Without some degree of stability and predictability, meaningful growth cannot endure, and lives cannot improve. The final concern (that will be addressed here) is the failure of backstops many hoped would provide some stability. The sharp decrease in Western influence (at the direction of local governments) removed one layer of stability (though there are reasons to be critical of this influence too), leaving multilateral agreements/relationships as the only significant backstop to the deterioration of political and security conditions. Clearly, these too have failed. ECOWAS’ demands to return to democracy, while important symbolically, yielded no positive results. Multilateral agreements may even be seen to increase political instability, particularly with the creation of the AES agreement between coup-successful states.

The implications for these few concerns are not confined to regional boundaries. Violence, and especially political violence, spreads. It will be up to each of us and our leaders to address such instances at the source, denouncing the legitimacy of stolen elections and presidencies while discouraging the use of excessive force. As always, open dialogue will be paramount in this endeavor, for violence cannot be our solution. With that said, successful dialogue rests on the condition of legitimacy. To engage in negotiations with a constitutionally illegitimate ruler would be to enshrine the coup d’état as a legitimate path to political power and relevance– a concession we cannot afford to make. The world will need to tread carefully as we attempt to balance the many and varying interests of global citizens. Niger is no exception.