Noopur Bhandiwad, Pune
West African Military chiefs from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) will meet in Ghana on Thursday and Friday to decide on a potential military intervention in Niger, as reported by Reuters.
The decision comes after Niger’s elected president, Mohamed Bazoum, was ousted by the military on July 26, triggering shockwaves across West Africa.
Initially, the conference was to be held on Saturday in Accra. However, it was postponed to this week as ECOWAS engages with the current military administration in Niamey, led by Abdourahmane Tchiani.
The military leadership in Niger had received an ultimatum from ECOWAS on July 30 that included a one-week deadline. They issued an ultimatum, stating that if Bazoum wasn’t restored, they would take military action. The deadline, nevertheless, went by without being met.
The ECOWAS leaders recently met in Abuja, the capital of Nigeria, to emphasise the group’s desire for a diplomatic settlement to the conflict. Mohamed Bazoum’s removal from office in 2021 marked a pivotal moment in Niger’s history since it was the first peaceful transfer of power since Nigeria’s independence from France in 1960.
The events that have transpired in Niger have sent ripples across West Africa, leading to military coups in Mali and Burkina Faso, both dealing with armed groups.
ECOWAS internal disputes and local resistance in Nigeria have raised questions about the political viability and ramifications of military action. Since the crisis began, the Niger military government has issued contradictory statements. In the wake of negotiations with Nigerian religious mediators, the coup leaders were initially receptive to diplomatic attempts. They later declared their intentions to charge Bazoum with “high treason and undermining internal and external security.
The legality of this decision was met with resentment by ECOWAS who saw it as a provocation. They accused the coup of contradicting the military authorities’ willingness to restore constitutional order through peaceful measures
Concerns about Bazoum, his wife, and their kid, who have been detained in the president’s official house since the coup, are spreading internationally.