The Chiefs of Defence Staff from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) member countries have affirmed their preparedness to take military action to restore democratic order in Niger Republic should diplomatic efforts prove unsuccessful.
Emerging from a gathering of Defence Chiefs in Ghana on Thursday, these officers expressed their willingness to engage in a standby force operation that could intervene in Niger to reinstate the democratically elected President, Mohamed Bazoum. His administration was overthrown on July 26 by the ruling junta led by General Abdourahmane Tchiani.
Having issued a seven-day ultimatum on July 30, the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, led by Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu, demanded that the military restore President Bazoum or face penalties, including potential military intervention.
The regional alliance convened again on August 10 in Abuja to reaffirm their resolve to deploy military forces for the purpose of ousting the ruling junta in the Niger Republic.
Nonetheless, despite significant sanctions, the junta leaders have resisted releasing detained President Bazoum and have even threatened him with prosecution for what they claim to be “high treason.”
The Defence Chiefs of the 15-member regional bloc had initially assembled in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital, to activate their standby force, paving the way for potential intervention in the troubled West African nation. This was followed by the recent meeting in Accra.
Reportedly, the Accra meeting on Thursday witnessed the participation of all member states except those currently under military rule, along with Cape Verde, as per ECOWAS commissioner Abdel-Fatau Musah’s statement to Al Jazeera.
In further remarks, Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Gwabin Musa, emphasized, “Democracy is what we stand for and it’s what we encourage.”
“The focus of our gathering is not simply to react to events, but to proactively chart a course that results in peace and promote stability.”
The coup leaders in Niger are being backed by fellow coupists in Burkina Faso and Mali, which have warned that any military intervention in Niger would be declared an act of war, revealing a fracture in the region between its coastal countries and those in the volatile Sahel.
