NIGER COUP: ECOWAS Military Intervention Heightens Fears, Tension Of Regional War, Crisis
The order to deploy standby force to Niger Republic by the Economic Community of West African States [ECOWAS] has heightened the fear and tension of looming crisis in West African sub-regional territories.
It could be recalled that ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, after its second Extraordinary Summit in Abuja on Thursday, August 10, resolved to deploy its standby force to restore constitutional order in NIger Republic.
The President of ECOWAS, Omar Alieu Touray, made this known while reading the resolution of the regional bloc after the summit.
“Direct the committee of the Chief of Defence Staff to activate the ECOWAS stand-by force with all its elements immediately.
“Order the deployment of the ECOWAS stand-by force to restore constitutional order in the Republic of Niger,” parts of the resolution read.
MILITARY JUNTA FORM GOVERNMENT IN NIGER
Barely a few hours to the ECOWAS meeting, the military authorities in Niger Republic on Wednesday, August 9, announced the formation of a new government and the appointment of 21 persons as ministers.
They unveiled Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine as the newly appointed Prime Minister who will lead 21 new ministers with generals from the new military governing council heading the defence and interior ministries.
It could be recalled that members of Niger’s Presidential Guard had on July 26 toppled the democratically-elected President Mohamed Bazoum-led government in a blood-free coup.
The ousted President and some members of his cabinet reportedly were thrown into detention.
The military coup plotters, consequently announced General Abduorahamane Tchiani, the former Chief of the presidential guard, as the President of the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland (CNSP), a council formed following the coup.
During a nationwide broadcast, the military claimed that their seizure of power was to end the government due to the “deteriorating security situation and bad governance” in the country.
Ostensibly, the military takeover in Niger has been widely greeted with rejections, criticisms and condemnations among international communities including ECOWAS, African Union, France, United States governments among others.
ECOWAS PLANS MILITARY INTERVENTION TO FORCE DEMOCRATIC RULE IN NIGER
The ECOWAS leaders had earlier given the junta one-week ultimatum to restore constitutional order and return President Mohamed Bazoum to power.
The ultimatum which elapsed on August 6 was unapologetically shunned by the Nigerien military government despite the international and regional sanctions imposed on the country.
It could be recalled that the ECOWAS chaired by President Bola Tinubu of Nigeria had placed economic sanctions on Niger following the military takeover.
The ECOWAS imposed “suspension of all commercial and financial transactions between ECOWAS Member States and Niger, freeze all service transactions including energy transactions.
“Freeze assets of the Republic of Niger in Aqua Central Bank. Freeze of assets of the Niger State and the state enterprises and parastatals in commercial banks.
“Suspension of measure from all financial assistance and transactions with all financial institutions, particularly EBID,” ECOWAS said in its initial ultimatum.
DIPLOMATIC TALKS FAILED
Efforts by the international communities to engage with the military junta diplomatically on over the week proven abortive.
It could be recalled that a special delegation sent by the ECOWAS to meet with the coup leaders did not achieve its targeted result as members of the delegation led by former Nigerian Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar (Rtd) were unable to meet the military head in Niger.
Also a secret meeting between Victoria Nuland, a US diplomat, and the coup leaders reportedly ended in obscurity as the envoy could not meet the military junta leader and the ousted President Bazoum.
It was even as the military junta refused entry to a negotiating mission planned for Tuesday, August 8 by the United Nations, African Union (AU) and Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
That, however, came after the Niger’s military rulers had announced shutdown of the country’s airspace, warning that any attempt to violate it would meet with an “energetic and immediate response.”
“Faced with the threat of intervention, which is becoming clearer through the preparation of neighbouring countries, Niger’s airspace is closed from this day on Sunday… for all aircraft until further notice,” they said this in a statement released on Sunday, the day ECOWAS ultimatum elapsed.
NIGERIAN FORMER EMIR MEET THE JUNTA FOR DIALOGUE
However, in a shocking development on Wednesday, August 8, the former Emir of Kano, Alhaji Muhammadu Sanusi, met with the military coup leaders, reportedly making efforts to fine-tune means to restore constitutional normalcy in the country.
It was learnt that Sanusi, who is the Khalifa of Tijjaniya sect in Nigeria and a respected Nigerian economist met the Junta leaders in the company of the Sultan of Damagaran, the third largest city in Niger.
Details of the meeting were not made known to the public even as Sanusi claimed that he was in Niger on his personal capacity without influence from the Nigerian government or international communities.
ECOWAS Lawmakers Divided Over Standby Force Deployment
The decision of ECOWAS to deploy its standby force to restore constitutional order in NIger Republic has generated intense concerns from different corners essentially in the ECOWAS Parliament.
Members of the parliament had a virtual extraordinary meeting on Saturday to deliberate on political developments in Niger Republic.
Some members of the chamber, who participated in the virtual extraordinary meeting said any military intervention would be counter-productive.
The First Deputy Speaker of ECOWAS Parliament, Idris Wase, who opposed the use of force in resolving the situation was quoted as saying: “We should be careful not to start what we can’t finish. When the Russia – Ukraine war started, people thought it was to be a sharp war. A year after, the war is still lingering on with the attendant economic squander and wanton destruction of lives and property.”
“Any war on Niger will have adverse effects on 60% of Nigeria, especially Northern Nigeria,” he added.
Also, Senator Ali Ndume, a member of the parliament, berated President Bola Tinubu for cutting diplomatic ties with the Niger without getting Nigerian National Assembly approval.
“We are the representatives of the people. Whatever action that must be taken should be dependent on what our people want.
“The ECOWAS Chairman, President Tinubu, wrote the Nigerian Senate on the planned military intervention in Niger and the Red Chamber vehemently opposed the use of force. They prefer instead, dialogue should be adopted in resolving the impasse.
“President Tinubu has no right to close the Niger – Nigeria border, cut electricity without the approval of the Nigerian National Assembly. It is not the Juntas that are suffering the sanctions, rather innocent people.”
Similarly, a representative from Niger Republic, Ali Djibo, said no fewer than 9,000 schools already have been shut, adding that dialogue would be the best solution to the situation.
“War will only compound the economic woes the peoples of the subregion are already going through.
“As we speak, over a thousand trucks, loaded with goods, are stranded at the border. If a coup happened in Nigeria or Cote’d’Iviore tomorrow, where is ECOWAS going to mobilise troops to fight the Nigerian or Ivorian military? How many borders are we going to close?
“We must also bear in mind that, if we’re applying the ECOWAS treaty, it should apply to all,” he was quoted saying on the floor of the Parliament.
Meanwhile, a Nigerian representative, Linda Ikpeazu, said dialogue and diplomacy have not been able to discourage the spread of coups in West Africa.
She held that there should be consequences for every action against the ECOWAS Protocol and declared support for any measure aimed at stopping military involvement in politics.
Adebayo Balogun, another Nigerian Parliamentarian, held the view that what ECOWAS leaders are proposing is not a full-scale war but a military action against the coup leaders, saying that the action is premised on the fact that Niger is a signatory to ECOWAS revised protocol on non-military intervention.
NIGERIAN FLEEING NIGER AHEAD OF ECOWAS MILITARY FORCE
Reports have emerged that some Nigerians, who were residing in Niger, were already fleeing the country following the firm stance of ECOWAS leaders on the military coup.
“Ever since the pronouncement by ECOWAS that the ousted president should be reinstated, a lot of us, especially those of us from Nigeria, have been having sleepless nights. Although there have not been any attacks on us, anything can happen if we are not careful. That was why I decided to come back to Nigeria and pray for an amicable resolutions of the crisis over there (in Niger Republic). To a layman in Niger Republic now, Nigeria is waging war against them,” Umar Abubakar, an indigene of Kebbi State, told reporters after returning back to Nigeria.
Also, Haruna Abdulazeez, an indigene of Osun State who also flew Niger, said he left the country because of possible attack from Nigeriens.
When asked if there were there threats of an attack by the host communities against foreigners, Abdulazeez said, “Honestly, there was nothing like that before but one never can say. Those people (Nigeriens) may decide to attack us anytime and since it would be difficult for us to hide, I decided to come back to Nigeria and stay in Illela for some time before things normalise over there.”
Meanwhile, some protesters in Kano State took to streets on Saturday displaying Nigerien flags and placards in solidarity, and chanting anti-military action songs as they walked around the metropolis.
Some of the placards, it was learnt, read: ‘War against Niger is injustice’. ‘It is the handiwork of America’. ‘It is the handiwork of Westerners’. ‘It is Islam that we want’. ‘It is justice that we want’. ‘Niger is ours.”
This was even as the Nigerian Ambassador to Niger denied report that the nation’s embassy was burnt by angry protesters in Niamey, Niger.
In a statement by issued to clarify the viral report, Liti Auwalu, the Nigeria Ambassador to Niger, said protesters tried to gain access to the embassy, but the Nigerien military and police managed the situation, adding that the embassy is well guarded.
Many civil society groups and stakeholders in the country have expressed rejection of the military intervention to resolve the leadership crisis in Niger.
While many are raising concerns on potential inadvertent effects of military force on ordinary Nigerien residents, some commentators have lamented that the military action may boomerang on diplomatic relationships between Nigeria and Niger Republic.
This newspaper understands that Nigeria shares six borderlines with Niger including in Sokoto, Jigawa, Yobe, Kebbi and Katsina States.
As of the time of filing this report, there were no any clear indications on whether ECOWAS have sent troops to Niger. However, authorities in the Niger have expressed readiness to embrace diplomatic dialogue to issues in their country.