After the emergency summit this Thursday, August 10, the Economic Community of West African States (Cedeao) warned that it does not rule out military intervention in Niger after the ultimatum it gave to the coup junta expired on August 6 to reinstate President Mahamed Bazoum. Although the regional bloc indicated that it is evaluating various options, including an eventual dialogue, in a statement at the end of the meeting, it reported that it had reactivated its reserve forces.
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“No option is ruled out,” including a possible military intervention in Niger. This was stated by the president of Nigeria, Bola Tinubu, president of the Economic Community of West African States (Cedeao), at the close of the emergency summit that took place this Thursday, August 10, to evaluate the steps to follow after the coup d’état on July 26.
The regional bloc had already threatened the Nigerien military junta that seized power with that possibility. In fact, the ultimatum he gave to the coup leaders to reinstate the democratically elected president, Mohamed Bazoum, expired on August 6.
The ECOWAS pronouncement went further and at the close of the meeting, the member countries issued a statement in which they highlighted that they ordered the activation of their reserve forces.
BREAKING:
ECOWAS announces its member states are mobilizing their armed forces and will use them to “restore constitutional order in Niger”
Nigeria has decided to intervene.
🇳🇬🇳🇪 pic.twitter.com/1UqKFGv8nr
— Visegrad 24 (@visegrad24) August 10, 2023
Although Tinubu qualified that he would prioritize diplomatic channels, ECOWAS makes a direct threat to the Nigerien junta clear.
“As we reaffirm our relentless commitment to democracy, human rights and the well-being of the people of Niger, it is crucial that we prioritize diplomatic negotiations and dialogue as the foundation of our approach,” Tinubu said.
ECOWAS decisions “will determine the next steps” of the EU
In the event that ECOWAS decides to intervene militarily in Niger, the action plan would already be designed. Between August 2 and 4, senior commanders of the Cedeao powers met to organize the road map for the war option. But first they will try to talk to the leaders of the rebellion, they stress.
“We must engage all parties, including the leaders of the coup, in serious discussions to convince them to step down from power and reinstate President Mohamed Bazoum,” Tinubu said.
ECOWAS ensures that it has the right to intervene in Niger because the autocratic drift in the country would have negative repercussions throughout the region. Arguments that the supporters of the board reject. Many civilians have sided with the rebels and criticized ECOWAS for imposing sanctions on one of the world’s poorest nations and considering possible armed intervention.
“If they attack the army, they will first have to attack us, the people of Niger,” a civilian told Reuters.
In recent days, the juntas of Mali and Burkina Faso – countries also governed by the military after the coups of 2020 and 2022, respectively – have threatened to respond in the event of an intervention with weapons in Niger.
Meanwhile, The spokesman for the European Commission, Peter Stano, remarked that what the ECOWAS leaders decide “will determine the next steps” of the EU and affirmed that Brussels will support “firmly and resolutely” the measures that it adopts, among them, the possible increase in sanctions.
Measures that will further affect the civilian population, according to the United Nations. Some neighborhoods in the capital, Niamey, have little access to electricity at the moment. The country gets almost 90% of its power from Nigeria, which has cut off some of the supply as part of the sanctions.
“It’s very difficult, I just sit at home doing nothing. We are suffering now, but I know that the board will find a solution to get out of the crisis, ”a civilian told the AP news agency after assuring that he cannot work in his business because there is no electricity.
This is the second ECOWAS summit since the coup. In the first, on July 30, they gave the military a seven-day ultimatum to return power to the country’s elected president, Mohamed Bazoum. But August 6 arrived and the board did not comply. Instead, it closed Nigerien airspace and said it would not tolerate any foreign power undermining its sovereignty.
The military junta challenges and announces a government cabinet
Niger’s military junta has shown little openness to negotiations so far. This week they refused entry to the country of a diplomatic mission, which included members of ECOWAS.
And this Thursday, as the long-awaited summit was taking place, the coup leaders announced the formation of a new government with 21 members, headed by Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine as prime minister.
General Salifou Mody was chosen for the Ministry of Defense and General Mohamed Toumba for the Interior portfolio, two important figures of the coup junta.
“Let me tell you, any coup that succeeds beyond 24 hours is here to stay in this region of the world. As things stand, the junta has the strength and the advantage. So if you want to negotiate with them, it will have to be on their terms,” said Oladeinde Ariyo, a security analyst in Nigeria.
Uranium and oil reserves give Niger significant geopolitical interest to the United States, Europe, China and Russia. An important reason, according to experts, why the powers are on the side of ECOWAS and the deposed government in Niger, an ally of the West.
With Reuters, EFE and AP
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