A year has passed since Niger's dramatic coup. Life has become more dangerous and desperate

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — When a group of military officers appeared on state television in Niger one year ago to make a dramatic announcement of a coup, they said they deposed the West African nation's elected government for two key reasons: its security, and economic crises.

But those challenges have persisted, even worsened. The country's 26 million people — among the world's youngest and poorest — are struggling after the junta severed ties with key international partners, who have imposed sanctions and suspended security and development support affecting close to half of Niger’s budget.

The coup was the latest and perhaps most significant of the recent military takeovers in Africa's Sahel, the vast, arid expanse south of the Sahara Desert that has become a global hot spot for extremist violence. Niger had been the West’s last reliable partner in the region in battling jihadists linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group.

Now, a crucial U.S. drone base is going, along with U.S. forces vacating ahead of a September deadline. More than 1,000 French troops also pulled out after being told to leave. A key China-backed pipeline once meant to turn Niger into an oil exporter has stalled with the insecurity and uncertainty.

Support from international partners, notably the European Union, had made up close to 40% of Niger's budget. With that gone, “we are only looking for something to live on,” said one resident in the capital, Niamey, Ibrahim Amani. Everything has become more expensive, he said.

On the streets, where thousands of mostly young people cheered the coup in its early dramatic days, there is growing frustration. But there are no public protests amid concerns about possible retaliation by the junta, which still holds deposed President Mohamed Bazoum in detention. The junta has said he will be charged with treason, to widespread criticism abroad.

There's a “real depressing effect on the ability of the government to provide services and on the ability of businesses to thrive,” said Daniel Eizenga, a research fellow with the African Center for Strategic Studies.

As Niger's military leaders consolidated their grip on power, they promised a three-year transition period to civilian rule. Analysts now say that is unlikely to happen on time.

The junta, along with those in neighboring Mali and Burkina Faso, is breaking away even from longtime West African allies.

The three countries, after expelling the forces of former colonizer France, have “completely changed the geopolitical dynamics” of the region and are forming their own anti-Western, pro-Russian alliance, said Ulf Laessing, head of the Sahel program at the Konrad Adenauer Foundation.

Russia is a new force in the Sahel, but its ability to make up for Niger's lost security support is limited. “Niger’s army is running out of material with the retreat of Western forces which the Russians – which has sent troops to Niger as its new security partner – can only partly compensate,” Laessing said.

On the ground, insecurity has worsened. Niger has quickly become the new target for extremists. Violent killings by rebels and militia groups more than doubled, from 770 people killed in the year before the coup to 1,599 in the year that followed, according to the U.S.-based Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project, or ACLED.

Extremists carried out nearly five times as many large-scale attacks — involving at least 10 deaths — in the year after the coup, ACLED data shows.

“Al-Qaida and IS militants have ... consolidated control over more territory since the junta took power by taking advantage of security force limitations that the withdrawal of Western support has contributed to,” the American Enterprise Institute's Critical Threats Project said in a new report.

That follows the trend in Mali and Burkina Faso, even after military juntas have invoked insecurity to justify taking power, experts have said.

“The coming years are likely to be difficult and violent in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, given the absence of clear inclusive strategies,” Alexander Thurston, an associate professor of political science at the University of Cincinnati, said in the new report.

Niger’s junta leader, Gen. Abdourahmane Tchiani, outlined his goals for the country in a government document published last week: for it to be a sovereign nation that controls its resources, for good governance and justice to reign and for the citizens to be able to work.

However, the military rulers are “tightening their grip on opposition, civil society, and independent media,” Samira Daoud, Amnesty International’s regional director for West and Central Africa, said Thursday in a statement that condemned dozens of “arbitrary arrests” in the last year in Niger.

For refusing to resign as president after being deposed, Bazoum has no public access apart from a doctor’s visit twice a week and the conditions of his detention are “becoming increasingly severe,” said Reed Brody, one of his lawyers.

On the business front, Niger's already import-dependent economy is reeling from sanctions and the impact of border closures in the early days after the coup.

The status of hundreds of millions of euros in support from the European Union, one of Niger's biggest donors, remains unclear. That affects agriculture, education, security, businesses and humanitarian activities along with work addressing migration.

Neither Russia nor other countries like Iran that Niger's junta is seeking closer ties with is likely to step up and fill such gaps, said Eizenga with the African Center for Strategic Studies.

“Russia is ultimately acting in the interest of Russia," he said. “And none of these other countries has the resources to provide the assistance that former partners did.”

Ahmed reported from Bamako, Mali.

Pedestrian shops at a market in Niamey, Niger, Wednesday, July. 24, 2024. One year has passed since a dramatic coup in Niger. (AP Photo/Omar Hama)

A man sells oranges and apples on the street in Niamey, Niger, Wednesday, July. 24, 2024. One year has passed since a dramatic coup in Niger. (AP Photo/Omar Hama)

A man sells watermelon on the street in Niamey, Niger, Wednesday, July. 24, 2024. One year has passed since a dramatic coup in Niger. (AP Photo/Omar Hama)

A man sells coconut on the street in Niamey, Niger, Wednesday, July. 24, 2024. One year has passed since a dramatic coup in Niger. (AP Photo/Omar Hama)

A man sells oranges on the street in Niamey, Niger, Wednesday, July. 24, 2024. One year has passed since a dramatic coup in Niger. (AP Photo/Omar Hama)

A man sells tomatoes on a street in Niamey, Niger, Wednesday, July. 24, 2024. One year has passed since a dramatic coup in Niger. (AP Photo/Omar Hama)

Oranges and bananas are display for sell on a street in Niamey, Niger, Wednesday, July. 24, 2024. One year has passed since a dramatic coup in Niger. (AP Photo/Omar Hama)

A man sells coconut on the street in Niamey, Niger, Wednesday, July. 24, 2024. One year has passed since a dramatic coup in Niger.(AP Photo/Omar Hama)

Pedestrian shops at a market in Niamey, Niger, Wednesday, July. 24, 2024. One year has passed since a dramatic coup in Niger. (AP Photo/Omar Hama)

Pedestrian shops at a market in Niamey, Niger, Wednesday, July. 24, 2024. One year has passed since a dramatic coup in Niger. (AP Photo/Omar Hama)

A man wheels tomatoes to sell on a bad road in Niamey, Niger, Wednesday, July. 24, 2024. One year has passed since a dramatic coup in Niger. (AP Photo/Omar Hama)

A man sells coconuts on the street in Niamey, Niger, Wednesday, July. 24, 2024. One year has passed since a dramatic coup in Niger. (AP Photo/Omar Hama)

A man sells oranges and apples on the street in Niamey, Niger, Wednesday, July. 24, 2024. One year has passed since a dramatic coup in Niger. (AP Photo/Omar Hama)

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) — Linebacker Haason Reddick won't play in the New York Jets' season-opening game Monday night at San Francisco while he remains in a contract dispute with the team.

Coach Robert Saleh acknowledged Saturday “that would be fair” to rule out Reddick, who has not been at the team's facility since the Jets' trade for him from Philadelphia became official on April 1.

The two-time Pro Bowl edge rusher, seeking a contract extension, has requested a trade from New York — something general manager Joe Douglas has said the team won't honor.

Saleh earlier in the week wouldn't rule out Reddick for the game, saying he's a veteran who knows how to prepare for the season. But the chances of that dwindled with each day of practice and Reddick remaining a holdout.

“Everyone goes through their own process,” Saleh said. "I'll stand firm that when he gets here, we're going to welcome him with open arms and we're going to love him up and he's going to be a part of this football team. And he's going to help us win a lot of football games.

“He's got to sort through the financial stuff, which is none of my business. I said it when I first got hired that our job is to help these guys make money. So, I always stay clear of it. Our job is to coach him when he gets here and love him up when he gets here.”

Reddick, who has four straight seasons of double-digit sacks, requested a trade from Philadelphia in the offseason when it became clear the Eagles wouldn’t give him a contract extension. The Jets had conversations with Reddick's representatives and felt comfortable enough to make the deal to acquire him.

Reddick, who turns 30 later this month, remains on the reserve/did not report list, where he was placed by the Jets on July 25, the second day of training camp practice.

Saleh insisted he's not frustrated by the situation with Reddick.

“Like I said, he's going through his process,” the coach said. “And when he gets here, we're going to do everything we can to help him get what he wants.”

Reddick's total fines for his holdout have surpassed $5 million, including over $2 million for missing all of training camp. He'll now forfeit almost $800,000 in game checks for each regular-season game he misses.

Backup offensive lineman Wes Schweitzer is out for the game with a hand injury that Saleh said will land him on injured reserve, meaning he'll be sidelined for at least the first four games. Schweitzer, entering his second season with the Jets, is a primary backup at guard.

Second-year linebacker Zaire Barnes, a special teams standout, will miss the game with an ankle injury.

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FILE - Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Haason Reddick (7) in action against New York Jets tight end Tyler Conklin (83) and offensive tackle Max Mitchell (61) during an NFL football game, Oct. 15, 2023, in East Rutherford NJ. (AP Photo/Rich Schultz, File)