2023-08-18 19:36:49
The chiefs of staff of the West African armies were for the second day this Friday, August 18 in Ghana to discuss a possible armed intervention in Niger after the military-led coup. At the beginning of the afternoon, nothing had filtered the possible conclusions of the military officials.
“Democracy is what we defend and support,” said Nigeria’s Chief of Staff, General Christopher Gwabin Musa, at the opening of the meeting in Accra between military officials from the countries. of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
L’Express summarizes the latest information for you.
A very heavy toll after violence in several villages
At least 28 civilians were killed earlier this week in violence in several villages in southwestern Niger, near Mali, a local official source said on Friday, a toll that could be heavier according to a security source. “For the moment, we have recorded at least 28 dead in total, but the toll may have changed,” a senior official in the Tillabéri region, where the violence took place, told AFP. Some bodies “were carried by the river” Niger, he said.
Four departments were affected by this violence which began “August 15 at dusk […] to end at midday on August 16”, he said, without indicating the origin of their outbreak. In Ayorou, one of the departments affected, there were four dead, 26 injured “by bladed weapons and firearms,” a local source said.
Nigeria warns putschists if President Bazoum’s condition deteriorates
Nigerian President Bola Tinubu warned that any “further deterioration” in the condition of Niger President Mohamed Bazoum, kidnapped since the military coup that overthrew him, would have “serious consequences”, during a interview with the President of the European Council Charles Michel.
“President Bazoum’s conditions of detention are deteriorating. Any further deterioration in his state of health will have serious consequences,” said Bola Tinubu, who currently chairs the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). in an interview Thursday, reported an EU official, who initially mistakenly attributed the phrase to Charles Michel.
Charles Michel indicated, for his part, “reiterated the support and the total support of the EU for the decisions of ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States), as well as the firm condemnation of the coup unacceptable force in Niger”. “The EU will not recognize the authorities resulting from the putsch,” he insisted.
The UN castigates the generals
The UN on Friday denounced the military who seized power in Niamey “on a whim”, saying that “the very notion of freedom in Niger is at stake”.
“Generals cannot arrogate to themselves the right to defy – on a whim – the will of the people. The law of arms has no place in today’s world”, castigated Volker Türk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, in a statement. He underlines that the election in 2021 of President Mohamed Bazoum, currently a prisoner of the soldiers who took power, constituted “the first democratic transition in the history of the country, marked by coups d’etat”.
He was also “worried about the decision announced by the putschists to prosecute President Mohamed Bazoum and other people working with him for high treason”.
ECOWAS still favors the path of dialogue
If the option of an armed operation remains on the table, ECOWAS still seems to favor the path of dialogue with the military regime which overthrew President Mohamed Bazoum on July 26 and placed General Abdourahamane Tiani at the head of the country. “The objective of our meeting is not simply to react to events but to proactively chart a path that leads to peace and supports stability,” General Gwabin Musa continued.
According to Abdel-Fatau Musah, commissioner for political affairs, peace and security within ECOWAS, the meeting will “refine” the details in case the organization “resorts to the ultimate means of force”. “The military junta in Niger is playing cat and mouse with ECOWAS,” he said. “They flouted their own constitution and ECOWAS protocols,” he said.
In the past, ECOWAS troops have already intervened, particularly during the wars in Liberia and Sierra Leone. The crucial meeting comes two days after a deadly attack in southwestern Niger by suspected jihadists killed at least 17 Nigerien soldiers and injured 20 others.
Germany raises its voice
On the diplomatic front, Germany raised its tone on Thursday by calling on the European Union to take “sanctions” against the perpetrators of the coup in Niger, a country crucial to supplying the European continent with uranium. “After the suspension of development and security cooperation, we want to implement sanctions against the putschists in the EU,” the German Foreign Office wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
Currently on a visit to Nigeria, the German Minister for Cooperation, Svenja Schulze, led “discussions in Abuja to see how best to support the efforts of ECOWAS”, the ministry further indicated. “Germany supports regional efforts to resolve the crisis in Niger. Our goal is to restore constitutional order,” the ministry said.
The West African organization has already taken retaliatory measures against the perpetrators of the coup which “greatly affect Niger’s supply of vital foodstuffs and medical supplies”, the World Food Program (WFP) warned on Wednesday. .
A new American ambassador in Niamey
Calls for a peaceful resolution to this crisis have multiplied in recent days, including among certain Western partners such as the United States, which announced on Wednesday that a new ambassador, Kathleen FitzGibbon, would soon be settling in Niamey.
“This is not a sign of a change in US policy but of their continued involvement” to find a diplomatic solution, however, said a spokesman for the State Department.
A visit to Chad
At the same time, the new Nigerien regime is also looking for allies in the region. On Tuesday, the prime minister appointed by the military in Niamey, Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine, traveled to N’Djamena where he was received by the Chadian transitional president Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno.
For the first time, he said that his country was “in a process of transition”, without however specifying its duration before possible elections for a return to constitutional order. Chad announced last week that it would not participate in any military intervention alongside ECOWAS, to which it does not belong.
Neighboring Mali and Burkina, also led by soldiers who came to power through coups in 2020 and 2022, quickly showed their solidarity with the generals in Niamey.
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