The Economic Community of West African States has agreed on an undisclosed date for possible military intervention in Niger to restore constitutional order if all diplomatic efforts fail.
ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, Abdel-Fatau Musah, made an announcement at the end of the meeting of West African army chiefs in Accra on Friday, where they have been coordinating a possible armed intervention aimed at reversing the coup in Niger.
He said, “We’ve already agreed and fine tuned what will be required for the intervention.
“All member states of ECOWAS present here today have all committed elements, they have committed their own equipment, they have committed their own resources to undertake this mission, so I tell you we are ready to go anytime the order is given.”
According to the bloc, most of its 15 member states are willing to contribute to the joint force, with the exception of countries under military rule – Mali, Burkina Faso, and Guinea – and Cape Verde.
“The D-day is also decided,” Musah added.
He stated that while “all options are on the table” including mediation and sanctions, ECOWAS will not hold an “endless dialogue” and insists on restoring constitutional order in Niger.
He also emphasised that ECOWAS is carrying out its duties in line with its principles and not due to external control.
“We want to get back to constitutional normalcy, and the decision is that the coup in Niger is one coup too many for the region, and we are putting a stop to it at this time, and we are drawing the line in the sand.”
Also, the United Nations (UN) has urged Niger’s military authorities to promptly restore constitutional order.
In a statement issued, Spokeswoman for UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Ravina Shamdasani, said, “The people have already been through so much hardship over the years, now, the very people they elected to build a pathway to end their destitution have been removed by force against the constitutional order and detained by the coup leaders. They must be released at once and democracy restored.”
Previously, Niger’s military leaders stated their intentions to prosecute Bazoum for “high treason” and also claimed they were open to a diplomatic negotiation to address the Niger conflict.
On July 30, ECOWAS issued Niger’s military authorities a one-week deadline to reinstall Bazoum or face the threat of force, but the period passed without action.
Frances Ibiefo
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