Leaders of a powerful west African regional bloc have ordered the activation of its standby force, increasing the pressure on the senior army officers who deposed Niger’s democratically elected leader last month but leaving the door open for a diplomatic solution.
Speaking after an emergency Ecowas summit in Abuja, President Bola Tinubu of Nigeria warned that “no option is taken off the tables including the use of force as the last resort”.
“If we don’t do it, no one else will do it for us. We remain steadfast in our commitment to supporting Niger towards peaceful and democratic stability in the country,” Tinubu said.
After Tinubu spoke, an official communique was read out, which included a resolution asking the bloc’s defence officials to “activate the Ecowas standby force with all its elements immediately”.
Another resolution spoke of ordering “the deployment of the Ecowas standby force to restore constitutional order in the Republic of Niger”, immediately followed by another that spoke of restoring such order “through peaceful means”.
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Earlier in the day Tinubu had appeared to step away from the imminent use of force despite a deadline expiring last weekend, which analysts said strongly suggested that the regional grouping was reluctant to go to war.
In his opening speech Tinubu said “diplomatic negotiations and dialogue” should be “the bedrock” of the Ecowas response to the crisis and barely mentioned the earlier threat to send thousands of troops into Niger after a coup d’état there by disgruntled army officers on 26 July.
“We must engage all parties involved, including the coup leaders, in earnest discussions to convince them to relinquish power and reinstate President Bazoum. It is our duty to exhaust all avenues of engagement to ensure a swift return to constitutional governance in Niger,” Tinubu had said.
The mixed messages from Ecowas will do little reassure analysts, observers and international powers worried by the prospect of a chaotic conflict in the heart of the deeply troubled and strategical important Sahel.
Niger is key to western development and counter-terrorist efforts across the Sahel. These have already been seriously undermined by two successive coups by Mali, now ruled by a military regime, while a recent coup in Burkina Faso has brought a 35-year-old army captain to power.
Tinubu had initially made a pledge to use military means to send a strong signal to other potential plotters of coups in the region. But the practical difficulties and expense of such an intervention, support from Mali and Burkina Faso for the new regime in Niamey, as well as concern among other Ecowas members, appear to have combined to inspire a new approach.
In his first speech on Thursday, Tinubu stressed diplomatic efforts to placate countries to the north of Niger known to be apprehensive about military intervention, and…
2023-08-10 13:07:53
Post from www.theguardian.com
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