2023-08-11 02:33:27
ECOWAS is activating with “immediate” effect a regional force in response to the possibility of intervention in Niger. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is carrying out the “immediate” activation of a regional force in preparation for a potential intervention in Niger. The objective of this intervention would be to restore the “constitutional order” after the coup that resulted in the removal of President Mohamed Bazoum. ECOWAS commission chairman Omar Touray announced this development last Thursday.
Despite the fact that the bloc remains committed to resolving the crisis in a “peaceful” manner, the announcement made by Touray during the extraordinary ECOWAS summit in Nigeria implicitly indicates a first step towards eventual intervention. The bloc had already threatened to intervene after the coup and had issued an ultimatum for the military junta to relinquish power.
The final communiqué of the summit highlights that the military junta has not accepted the mediation attempts so far, and the deadline established to reverse the situation has already expired. In this regard, ECOWAS is calling on the African Union and the UN to support measures that add to its approach and has implemented sanctions against the new Nigerien authorities.
Nigerian President calls for dialogue
Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, who currently leads ECOWAS, has advocated for dialogue and the exhaustion of all diplomatic options following the coup in Niger. In addition, he has highlighted that “the political crisis in Niger not only represents a threat to the stability of the nation, but also has far-reaching implications for the entire West African region,” according to the newspaper ‘Punch’.
On the other hand, the president of the Ivory Coast, Alassane Ouattara, has been even more emphatic. At the end of the meeting, he stressed that ECOWAS “cannot accept” what has happened in Niger and recalled that in the past he had already intervened in “similar situations” in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Gambia and Guinea Bissau. Ouattara has denounced the kidnapping of President Bazoum as a terrorist act and has called for immediate action to end this situation.
The ECOWAS final communiqué maintains that the military junta is “solely and fully responsible for the security and physical integrity of Bazum, his family and his government.” In recent weeks, reports have surfaced of Bazoum’s deteriorating health and threats against his life. Despite warnings from ECOWAS, Niger’s military junta has ignored the calls and has moved on to consolidate it, even appointing senior officials. Burkina Faso and Mali are among the allies of this junta, and have warned that a military intervention in Niger would be interpreted as a “declaration of war” against them as well.
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