Niger’s ruling junta has announced charges against President Bazoum for high treason. An approach qualified by ECOWAS as a new form of provocation.

Relations keep deteriorating. The will expressed by the junta in Niger to bring the deposed President, Mohamed Bazoum, before the courts, is considered by ECOWAS as « a new form of provocation ». The regional organization, in a press release, condemned this approach. ECOWAS emphasizes that it « contradicts the will attributed to the military authorities of the Republic of Niger to restore constitutional order by peaceful means ».

This outing of the military in power in Niger comes as the head of a delegation of Nigerian clerics announced the day after his visit to Niamey on Sunday that General Abdourahamane Tiani declared that « his door was open to explore the path of diplomacy and peace in order to resolve the crisis ».

The same source informs that General Tiani, « also apologized for not having given the necessary attention to the team sent by President Tinubu and led by the former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar”.

It should be noted that ECOWAS, in this crisis, wants to favour the diplomatic channel to restore President Bazoum to his duties. In its press release of August 14, it reiterates that Mr. Bazoum “remains the democratically elected President of the Republic of Niger, recognized by ECOWAS and the international community”. In the same vein, it “condemns his illegal detention and calls for his immediate release and reinstatement to duty”.

CDS’s meeting tomorrow in Accra

However, the organization, which plays the card of diplomacy, does not exclude the military option. Moreover, after the second extraordinary summit held last Thursday, the regional organization ordered “the immediate activation of its intervention force”. In this dynamic, the Chiefs of Defence Staff of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) will meet Thursday and Friday in Ghana to discuss a possible military intervention in Niger. This will be the second meeting of the high military hierarchy of the regional space, which is refining its intervention plans.

As a reminder, this meeting, which was initially to be held last Saturday, was postponed for technical reasons. On July 26, President Mohamed Bazoum was overthrown by putschists led by the head of the Presidential Guard, Abdourahmane Tiani. Four days after this coup, ECOWAS leaders decided to financially sanction Niger and gave the military a seven-day ultimatum to restore constitutional order, threatening a possible use of force as a last resort. After the failure of this ultimatum, the Heads of State of the Community of West African States (ECOWAS) met again in Abuja. A meeting at the end of which it was decided « the immediate activation » of the intervention force of the organization. A possible military intervention which is debated within the countries of the organization, on the feasibility, the necessity and also the consequences in a region which faces a jihadist threat.

By Dieynaba KANE / dkane@lequotidien.sn

  • Translation by Ndey T. SOSSEH