According to the organization, the majority of the West African community of ECOWAS is ready for military intervention in Niger to restore constitutional order there.
ECOWAS Commission Chair Abdel-Fatau Musah announced Thursday in the Ghanaian capital Accra that all member states, except those under a military government and Cape Verde, are prepared to deploy a response force that can intervene in Niger if necessary.In Accra, the military leaders of the ECOWAS states will discuss until Friday how to proceed in Niger after the military coup.
Musah accused the putschists in Niger of playing “cat and mouse” with ECOWAS. He criticized the army’s refusal to meet envoys from the organization. Instead, the junta is constantly seeking justification for the July 26 coup. ECOWAS consists of 15 West African countries, including Niger itself, Mali and Burkina Faso, both members are each led by a military junta, and both have already expressed their support for the coup plotters in Niger. ECOWAS has so far emphasized that it wants to do everything for a diplomatic solution.
EU wants sanctions
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock announced that the European Union would introduce sanctions against the putschists in Niger. “Germany supports African efforts to solve the crisis in Niger,” the green politician told news service X, formerly Twitter. “Our goal is to restore constitutional order.” To this end, she had spoken by telephone with Musah in recent days and also with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
Fear of further destabilization
ECOWAS, like the African Union, the European Union and the United Nations, is calling for the immediate release of legitimate Niger President Mohamed Bazoum, who has been under house arrest since the coup. However, the putschists announced on Sunday that they want to charge Bazoum with high treason. ECOWAS reacted with outrage, stating that this was a provocation by the coup leaders, which contradicted the desire for a peaceful resolution of the crisis. Accordingly, the meeting of the military chiefs now serves as a preparation for a military operation.
The 2021 elections to Bazoum marked the first democratic transfer of power in Niger, which has staged four coups since independence from France in 1960. German soldiers are also currently stationed in Niger to ensure stability as part of a European Union mission. A possible ECOWAS military operation in Niger has fueled fears of further destabilization of the Sahel region.
Source: Krone
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