Ecowas finalises plans for military intervention in Niger

Receive free African political updates

we will send you myFT Daily Digest Email summary of the latest information african politics Every morning there is news.

West African nations have finalized plans for a military intervention in Niger to reverse last month’s coup and have agreed on a “D-Day” invasion, a senior ECOWAS official said at the end of a two-day meeting. unanimous. Regional Defense Chief.

The ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, Abdul-Fatau Musah, announced at a news conference in the Ghanaian capital Accra that the military leaders of the 15-member team stand ready to take the Take action when commanded. He gave no specifics.

“We are ready, we have the resources, the equipment and the political will,” Moussa said.

The ECOWAS commissioner said the coalition remained open to dialogue with leaders of the junta that ousted Niger President Mohamed Bazoum on July 26, but warned they would not engage in “endless dialogue”.

Moussa said the goal of any military action is to quickly restore constitutional order in the Sahel country.

The junta led by General Omar Chiani, leader of the Bazum Presidential Guard, has flouted the ECOWAS deadline of 6 August to restore constitutional order. Moussa called the junta’s actions intransigent.

Ahead of the Accra summit, regional leaders announced a “standby” order following an emergency meeting in Nigeria last week, with the bloc reiterating that it would intervene militarily if the self-styled National Defense Council (CNSP) junta intervened. intervene. Do not restore Bazum.

Moussa added that all ECOWAS members were ready to participate, except those whose military rule had been suspended – Burkina Faso, Guinea and Mali – and the small island nation of Cape Verde.

How much support military intervention will find remains to be seen. France and the United States, which both have troops in Niger, support ECOWAS’ efforts to restore constitutional order, but have not said whether they would welcome military action.

As the bloc’s largest member, Nigeria’s domestic political factions, civil society and media have opposed any such move. But Bora Tiinub, Nigeria’s president and head of ECOWAS, welcomed the support of neighboring ECOWAS this week.

The African Union’s Peace and Security Council met on Monday to consider support for military action, but its conclusions have not been made public.

ECOWAS remains at loggerheads with Niger’s junta, and diplomatic efforts have largely stalled. Bazum and his family have been held since July 26, when members of the presidential guard planned a coup. The junta threatened to kill the 63-year-old in the event of an invasion, according to officials with knowledge of the situation.

Bazum was threatened with the death penalty earlier this week by the junta on charges of “treason” and breach of national security. ECOWAS called the move a “provocation” that contradicted the regime’s stated willingness to engage in dialogue.