ECOWAS deploys military troops for immediate intervention in Niger
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ECOWAS deploys military troops in Niger despite widespread warnings that an invasion could plunge Sun-Sahara Africa into turmoil
ECOWAS deploys military troops in Niger despite widespread warnings that an invasion could plunge Sun-Sahara Africa into turmoil.
Western regional bloc, ECOWAS leaders have ordered the immediate invasion of Niger, charging the regional body’s standby force to restore constitutional order following the seizure of power in a military coup late last month.
President of ECOWAS, Omar Alieu Touray, made the declaration during a meeting of the organization on Thursday afternoon.
“We direct the committee of defence staff to activate the ECOWAS standby force with all its elements immediately,” Mr. Touray said, adding that the action was to “restore constitutional order in the Republic of Niger.”
ECOWAS chairman, President Bola Tinubu of Nigeria, had said the ongoing political crisis in Niger Republic was a threat to the stability of Nigeria and other West African countries.
The Second Extraordinary Summit on the socio-political situation in the Republic of Niger held in Abuja opened Thursday.
Present at the summit are Presidents of Guinea Bissau, Senegal, Cote ‘d’Ivoire, Ghana, Benin, Sierra Leone, and Togo, while Liberia and the Gambia were represented by their Foreign Ministers.
The announcement came despite widespread warnings that an invasion could plunge Sun-Sahara Africa into turmoil, as well as doubt among Western leaders that the alliance can pull of the operation in a timely manner.
The United States, France, and others have expressed support for the efforts of ECOWAS in resolving the crisis.
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This comes even after Niger’s military junta had earlier announced a new government on Thursday, naming Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine, prime minister, to lead other 21 new ministers forming the new government.
Meanwhile, West Africa’s regional bloc has failed to stem past coups throughout the region.
Niger is the fourth country in the 15-member state bloc to have experienced a coup in the last three years.
The bloc has imposed harsh economic and travel sanctions.
But as the junta becomes more entrenched, the options for negotiations are becoming limited, said Andrew Lebovich, a research fellow with the Clingendael Institute.
“It’s very difficult to say what might come out of it, but the fact that the initial deadline passed without intervention and that the (junta) has continued to hold a fairly firm line, indicate that they think they can outlast this pressure,” he said.
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