ECOWAS Delegation Pursues Peace in Niger Amid Coup
The city of Niamey, Niger
After senior army officers usurped power in a coup, a delegation from the ECOWAS bloc of West Africa arrived in Niger on Saturday in search of a non-military resolution.
The delegation led by former Nigerian president Abdulsalami Abubakar arrived in the capital early in the afternoon, a day after ECOWAS military chiefs declared their willingness to intervene to reinstate the deposed president.
After generals detained President Mohamed Bazoum on July 26, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) resolved to activate a “standby force” as a last resort to restore democracy in Niger.
However, it states that it prefers dialogue to mitigate the crisis. A previous ECOWAS delegation led by Abubakar failed to meet Bazoum and junta leader General Abdourahamane Tiani on August 3.
A source close to Saturday’s delegation stated that it would deliver “a message of firmness” to army officers and confer with Bazoum. Since the coup, he has been detained alongside his family at the president’s official residence, amid increasing international concern over his detention conditions.
An EU official reported that ECOWAS chair and Nigerian president Bola Tinubu threatened Niamey on Friday with “grave consequences” if the new regime allows Bazoum’s health to deteriorate.
President won’t be injured.
Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine, the military-appointed prime minister of Niger, told The New York Times that Bazoum would not be harmed.
“Nothing will happen to him because we don’t have a history of violence in Niger,” the new regime’s most senior civilian told the newspaper. The new leaders of Niger have shown little flexibility thus far and have warned against “illegal aggression.”
Saturday in central Niamey, thousands of volunteers responded to a call to register as civilian auxiliaries who could be mobilized to support the army.
If ongoing negotiations with coup leaders fail, ECOWAS defense chiefs convened this week in the Ghanaian capital Accra to iron out the details of a potential military operation to restore Bazoum.
Abdel-Fatau Musah, an ECOWAS commissioner for political affairs and security, said on Friday after the military commanders’ meeting, “We are ready to deploy at any time.” “The date of D-Day is also decided.”
After Mali, Guinea, and Burkina Faso, Niger is the fourth nation in West Africa to experience a revolt since 2020, prompting ECOWAS leaders to declare that they must act.
Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State-affiliated jihadist insurgencies are expanding in the Sahel region. Frustration with the violence has contributed to the motivation for the military takeovers.
Since 1990, ECOWAS personnel have responded to numerous emergencies, including the civil wars in Liberia and Sierra Leone. It is anticipated that Ivory Coast, Benin, and Nigeria will contribute soldiers to a mission in Niger.
Risky undertaking
Analysts assert that military intervention in Niger would be politically and militarily hazardous, particularly for the regional powerhouse Nigeria.
The northern authorities of Nigeria have warned of spillover from Niger across the border if there is an intervention.
The architects of the coup have defiantly threatened to file treason charges against Bazoum. However, they have also expressed an openness to dialogue. The military-controlled administrations of Mali and Burkina Faso have also stated that intervention in Niger would be interpreted as a declaration of war against them.
In the hours following the coup, France, which has 1,500 troops stationed in Niger, was requested to support a potential armed move to restore Bazoum to office, sources close to the situation told AFP, confirming a report in the daily Le Monde.
“However, the loyalists defected and supported the putschists. Therefore, it was not possible to grant the requested assistance,” the source explained.
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has already imposed trade and financial sanctions on Niger, while France, Germany, and the United States have suspended aid programs.
ECOWAS Delegation Pursues Peace in Niger Amid Coup
