Army chiefs of staff from the countries that make up the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) have set the exact date of a possible military intervention to restore constitutional order in Niger, but have chosen not to announce the date. Still, a diplomatic solution remains on the table, Abdel-Fatau Musah, the regional organization’s commissioner for political affairs, peace and security, said on Friday. The statement came after a two-day chiefs of staff meeting in Accra, Ghana, where they defined the operational plan and troops each country would deploy.
“We have decided on a D-Day, but we will not reveal it,” Musah said after the meeting. “We are ready to enter Niger as soon as the order is given […] We will not have an endless dialogue and draw a line. “The coup in Niger is the straw that broke the camel’s back,” added the commissioner for political affairs, who also reiterated that “the aim is to restore constitutional order as soon as possible”. However, Ecowas is keeping the door open for a possible negotiated exit. “There is still a chance for dialogue,” Musah said.
The military intervention plan and its timelines must now be confirmed by Ecowas leaders at a new summit, but there will be no new chiefs of staff meetings. “We discussed possible humanitarian issues,” added Abdel-Fatau Musah, “but what is happening in Niger is part of a series of coups in the region that we want to end.” Terrorist actions are threatening in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger. The military option is not our preferred option, but we are being compelled by the intransigence of the Nigerian junta. Any intervention will be short-lived and aimed at restoring constitutional order,” he added.
Ecowas country chiefs of staff have held two days of talks to advance an operational plan for military intervention in Niger if attempts to negotiate with the military junta fail. Ten of the 15 countries in this regional bloc have indicated their willingness to provide troops, Abdel-Fatau Musah reported Thursday, although there is no consensus within the African Union and several countries on the continent, such as Algeria and Chad, have rejected the option. The military junta in Niger has stationed troops on the borders with Benin and Nigeria, according to sources close to the Nigerian army.
The President of Nigeria and of Ecowas himself, Bola Tinubu, informed European Council President Charles Michel in a telephone call on Thursday about the deteriorating conditions for the ousted President of Niger, Mohamed Bazoum, who was arrested by the military. He also warned that “Any further deterioration in his condition will have serious consequences,” an EU spokeswoman said on Friday. The military junta threatened to try Bazoum for treason and even execute him in the event of the military intervention already outlined by Ecowas.
President Bazoum is being held in some rooms of the Presidential Palace with his wife Hadja Hadiza and their 22-year-old son Salem. They have had no electricity since August 2 and have only eaten pasta and rice, the president’s daughter Zazia (who was traveling in France at the time of the coup) told The Guardian newspaper. Her brother Salem has a heart condition, the president himself told Human Rights Watch. But despite the difficult conditions he finds himself in, the ousted president has been able to maintain communication with certain, very specific people abroad, including his own daughter.
The health and safety of President Bazoum and his family has become a red line for Ecowas leaders, according to an African diplomatic source. “If anything should happen to him, no one should doubt it [Ecowas] would act with the utmost severity against the putschists. We cannot allow such a grave precedent to be set in the region,” he said.
Nigerian and Ecowas President Bola Tinubu during his inauguration ceremony in Abuja on May 29. TEMILADE ADELAJA (Portal)
For its part, the European Union has maintained its “full support” for Ecowas and its decisions on the coup in Niger. Michel assured President Tinubu during a phone call in which the European leader discussed the decision to send an Ecowas negotiating mission to Niamey, the capital of Niger, this weekend. Should it come to that, said the President of the European Council, this would be an “important first step”. […] “Towards de-escalation and the restoration of democratic order” in Niger. Michel reiterated “his strong condemnation of the unacceptable coup in Niger,” said an EU spokeswoman on Friday. President Bazoum, the Belgian recalled, “was democratically elected and remains the legitimate head of state in Niger,” and the EU “does not and will not recognize the authorities that emerged from the coup,” said the spokeswoman.
On the other hand, the ousted President’s Nigerian Party for Democracy and Socialism (PNDS) has reported in a statement that people close to the military coup carried out numerous illegal searches and robberies at the homes of leaders and members last Thursday evening described as “totalitarian drift” aimed at intimidating citizens. In addition to Bazoum, the military junta also arrested Foumakoye Gado, the president of the PNDS, as well as several ministers and members of parliament.
After more than two weeks of silence, Mahamadou Issoufou, former President of Niger, has broken his silence in an interview with Jeune Afrique magazine, calling for Bazoum’s immediate release and his return to power. The alleged closeness between Issoufou and General Tchiani, the leader of the coup, had sparked heated debate in Niger, but the former president denied his involvement in the uprising. He also confirmed that he played a role in mediation and remains convinced that it is possible to find a negotiated solution.
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