Paris – In Maradi, Niger’s second largest city, the effects of economic slowdown and inflation are increasingly being felt by the population two months after the coup d’état.
Traffic dominated by yellow tricycles serving as motorbike taxis is a usual sight in the city of Maradi, especially along National Highway 9. However, Mahamadou, a tricycle driver, believes that life has slowed down over the past two months.
“Every time there’s a coup, it’s a predictable situation. The food budget is the most affected. The price of a sack of rice has gone from 11,000 to 14,000 CFA francs. And in terms of activities, we’re not making as much money as before. All those involved in trade are affected by the border closures,” Mahamadou recently told DW.
“We knew there would be restrictions in our daily lives because this isn’t the first coup in Niger. But we will be resilient because I think things will improve, and the military will bring order to the functioning of the country.”
Consequences of Sanctions
Maradi, a commercial region, is more oriented towards northern Nigeria, particularly the state of Kano, than towards Niamey, the capital of Niger. Since the border closures, Maradi residents like Ibrahim Sani have borne the brunt of the inflation that followed the military takeover.
“Practically all activities have slowed down or come to a halt. I believe the new authorities should meet with the heads of state of ECOWAS member countries to discuss and negotiate; otherwise, we cannot endure. If those in power, who have the means of the state, don’t feel anything, we feel a lot,” Mahamadou explained.
“Everything has become considerably more expensive—rice, sugar, oil, pasta. If you take rice, a kilogram used to cost 450 CFA francs, but now it’s 600-625 francs. It has become too expensive for me, who buys six kilograms every day to feed my family. So, I’m in a very delicate situation.”
More and more political actors are speaking out against a military intervention by ECOWAS to reinstate President Bazoum. However, it remains uncertain whether the easing of sanctions against Niger is on ECOWAS’s agenda.
