Officials of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) have said that troops are ready to participate in a standby force that could intervene in Niger.
At a meeting in Accra, Ghana capital, on Thursday, the Defence Chiefs said they were prepared to restore civil rule in Niger.
According to Al Jazeera, all member states except those under military rule and Cape Verde pledged readiness to participate in the standby force.
ECOWAS commissioner, Abdel-Fatau Musah, was quoted to have said this at the meeting.
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The medium further quoted Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Gwabin Musa, to have said, “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.”
Burkina Faso and Mali, which have experienced multiple coups since 2020, warned that any military intervention in Niger would be declared as an act of war, revealing a fracture in the region between its coastal countries and those in the volatile Sahel.
After presidential guards seized power from President Mohamed Bazoum, ECOWAS issued a 7-day ultimatum to the military to restore the president or risk sanctions, including possible military action.
But the junta called off ECOWAS’ bluff and vowed to resist foreign intervention.
Subsequently, the regional bloc asked defence chiefs from the 15-member regional bloc to activate its standby force.
Daily Trust reports that the ECOWAS leaders, under the chairmanship of President Bola Tinubu, had met twice in Nigeria during which various sanctions were slammed on Niger.
Specifically, Nigeria had closed its borders with Niger, disconnected electricity supply and also imposed some monetary sanctions through the CBN, all in an effort to force the junta to leave.
However, various groups among them the Jama’atu Nasril Islam (JNI), Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), and Northern Elders Forum (NEF) have all called for restrain, saying diplomatic options should be explored instead of going to war.
They said Nigeria stands to lose militarily, financially and in terms of fracturing the age-long neighbourliness with Niger, which had been mutually beneficial.
They, therefore, called on Tinubu not to lead the war against Niger.
Following a visit by Islamic clerics from Nigeria led by Sheikh Bala Lau recently, the junta in Niger has said it is open to talks but wanted to charge Bazoum for ‘high treason’.
Thousands of people living in Nigeria/Niger borders in Sokoto, Kebbi, Katsina, Jigawa, Yobe and Borno, among others have disapproved of the use of force to restore democracy in Niger.
They also called for elaborate dialogue that would see to the resolution of the crisis which has collapsed social and economic activities in the affected communities.
African Union opts for dialogue
The African Union (AU), said to be concerned by the rising number of coups in West Africa, is reportedly opposed to any military intervention by ECOWAS.
French daily Le Monde said it had spoken to sources from the AU’s Peace and Security Council, the body appointed to decide on conflict resolution issues, who decided to reject the deployment of a foreign military force after a tense meeting on Monday.
It’s unclear when the force will invade Niger, but a diplomat told Le Monde the AU was worried that military action would trigger a bloody civil war.
At the same meeting, the council reportedly chose to temporarily suspend Niger from all AU activities.
Protests, recruitment drive of volunteer fighters ongoing
However, France 24 reported that there is widespread public anger in Ghana over the planned invasion by some ECOWAS countries willing to participate in a possible military intervention in Niger.
And in Niger, the Associated Press reported that residents in the capital, Niamey, were calling for the mass recruitment of volunteers to assist the army in the face of the “growing threat” by ECOWAS.
A resident involved in the drive told AP they hoped to recruit tens of thousands of volunteers from across the country to fight, help with medical care and provide technical and engineering support.
“It’s an eventuality. We need to be ready whenever it happens,” the resident, Amsarou Bako, said.
It was gathered that as well as the capital, the recruitment drive is targeting cities where foreign forces might enter, such as near the borders with Nigeria and Benin.
We support ECOWAS, AU position – Southern African bloc
The Southern Africa Development Community (SADC), has thrown its weight behind the actions taken so far by the ECOWAS and AU on the Coup in Niger Republic.
The High Commissioner of Namibia to Nigeria and the Dean of the SADC, H.E. Humphrey Geiseb, disclosed this on Thursday while speaking with journalists at Hope of Survival Orphanage Home, Abuja where the SADC donated food items to orphans as part of activities to mark the organisation’s anniversary.
Geiseb, when asked about the take of the bloc on the situation in Niger, said the Southern African region is mostly peaceful, adding that: “We hold regular elections and democracy is very strong in our region.”
The envoy, however, said the Southern Africa region is part of the African Union, pointing out that whatever happens in other regions of the African continent indirectly affects SADC.
“Southern Africa is part of the African Union and the concerns and feelings about the situations of coups as expressed by ECOWAS, which is a regional body, just like the Southern Africa Development Community, and equally by the African Union.
“So, we are fully behind the statements and positions of ECOWAS and the African Union,” he said.
By Dalhatu Liman & Joshua Odeyemi
