Niger Republic: Let diplomacy triumph

As the seven-day ultimatum by the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government to the military junta in the Republic of Niger expires, we call for great caution on the way forward. There is a need for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the entire ECOWAS leadership to tread carefully so that Nigeria is not plunged into a crisis. Already, there are fears that a war in Niger at the moment will deeply impact Nigeria negatively.

Following the coup and a subsequent declaration by the coup’s leader and head of the presidential guards of Niger, Gen Abdourahamane Tchiani, as the new leader of the country, ECOWAS leaders met in Abuja last week Sunday and released a joint statement to “take all measures necessary to restore constitutional order” in Niger.

On Thursday, Tinubu took a commendable peace move, sending the trio of former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar (Rtd), Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, and President of the ECOWAS Commission, Omar Alieu Touray, to Niamey. He also sent a separate delegation led by Ambassador Babagana Kingibe to engage leaders of Libya and Algeria on the Niger crisis.

But on Friday, the drums of war took an alarming pace when Tinubu wrote to the National Assembly about ECOWAS’ proposed military action and other sanctions. Specifically, he sought their approval of the “military buildup and deployment of personnel for military intervention to enforce compliance of the military junta in Niger should they remain recalcitrant.”

But that same Friday, the ECOWAS Committee of Chiefs of Defence Staff (CDS) ended its three-day meeting in Abuja, resolving that the regional political leaders should adopt a comprehensive approach that encompasses political, security and diplomatic dimensions in addressing the aftermath of the coup.

Nigeria’s CDS and President of the committee, Gen Christopher Musa, said that the men of arms also agreed, among others, that “dialogue and negotiations should be at the forefront of our approach in resolving the crisis in the Republic of Niger.”

The Senate toed the same line. While condemning the Niger coup in totality, it told President Tinubu and other ECOWAS leaders to tread softly in the deployment of military force and “strengthen political and diplomatic options and other means intending to resolve the political impasse.”

We commend the Senate for this cautious step as it has helped to douse tension in Nigeria arising from the sabre-rattling for war.

Daily Trust also commends President Tinubu for sending the Gen Abubakar team and the earlier one that was in Niamey on the day of the coup.

It is unfortunate that the Gen Abubakar team returned same Thursday without meeting President Bazoum or the coup leader, Gen Tchiani.

Yet, their mandate to expeditiously resolve the political impasse in the country in line with the resolution reached at the end of the extraordinary summit of the ECOWAS penultimate Sunday stands. The search for a political solution still resonates.

We at Daily Trust believe that caution must be applied on this issue. This is not the time to rush to a war. All diplomatic avenues should be explored to make the soldiers return to the barracks. It must be stated clearly that whatever happens in the Republic of Niger is of paramount interest to Nigeria, which is why it should be wary of falling prey to geo-political interests that put its own backyard in jeopardy, especially through any not-well-thought push for military option that will harm Nigeria’s interests.

Nigeria should avoid any gung-ho push for a military solution to a purely political problem. After all, Niger and Nigeria share about 1,500km border, the longest among neighbouring countries. The border encompasses seven Nigerian states of Borno, Jigawa, Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto, Yobe and Zamfara.

Moreover, both countries have strong a historical background and share common language and religion and have been trading partners for ages. The towns and cities between Southern Niger and Northern Nigeria have shared customs and languages. And there are no natural barriers like mountains or rivers separating the two countries.

It is good that the ECOWAS leadership under President Tinubu has put Nigeria at the forefront of much more assertive diplomatic efforts. Because of this, Nigeria should push for all available diplomatic means available in the platforms of ECOWAS, African Union (AU) and UN. It should lead all national, regional and global stakeholders to robustly engage the coup plotters towards a conclusive and amicable resolution of the crisis.

We call on the United States (US) and the United Kingdom (UK) to support ECOWAS in its effort to seek an end to the problem. And this must be devoid of military deployment, a war or implementation of options that will shortchange the affected people of Africa.

We must also warn on the danger of African military leaders’ newfound romance with Russia to get to power. They must understand that it is dangerous and ultimately destabilising for the security and economic prosperity of the region/continent now and in the future.

Complementing the push for democracy should be an urgent national dialogue in Niger that will help to ease tension and calm the domestic environment. And the capacity, wisdom and courage for a mutually beneficial political situation is not lacking in the country and regional nations. This is the time to deploy them.