ECOWAS President Condemns Coup In Niger

ECOWAS President Condemns Coup In Niger

The ECOWAS President said the regional body decided as follows: ‘’Reiterates its strong condemnation of the attempted coup d’etat and the continued illegal detention of President Mohammed Bazoam, his family and members of his government

“Further condemns the condition in which President Bazoum is being detained and hold the CNSP fully and solely responsible for the safety, security and physical integrity of President Bazoum, members of his family and government.

“Uphold all measures and principles agreed upon by the extra-ordinary summit held on Niger on 30th July 2023; Underscore the determination of the ECOWAS authority to keep all options on the table for the peaceful resolution of the crisis.

“Enforce all measures in particular border closures and strict travel bans and assets freeze on all persons or groups of individuals whose actions hinder all peaceful efforts aimed at ensuring the smooth and complete restoration of constitutional order.’’

It further warned member states who by their action directly or indirectly hindered the peaceful resolution of the crisis in Niger about the consequences for their action before the community.

The body ‘’further call on all partner countries and institutions including the United Nations to support ECOWAS, in its effort to ensure a quick restoration of constitutional order, in conformity with its normative instruments.

“Direct the President of the Commission to monitor the implementation of the sanctions; direct the Committee of the Chief of Defence Staff to activate the ECOWAS Standby Force with all its elements immediately.

“Order the deployment of the ECOWAS Standby Force to restore constitutional order in the Republic of Niger; underscore its continued commitment for the restoration of constitutional order through peaceful means.”

In his remarks at the summit, the Chairman of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of States and Government, President Bola Tinubu said no option was off the table, including the use of force as the last resort in resolving the Niger crisis.

“You will see from the communiqué of this extraordinary summit that no option is taken off the table 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.

The Nigerian leader while admitting that there will be challenges ahead, said that the collective resolve of the ECOWAS would navigate all obstacles for lasting peace and prosperity in Niger and other member countries.

He commended the leaders for their “unwavering commitment” to the sub-region and welfare of the African continent. The road ahead will undoubtedly have challenges but I firmly believe that with our collective resolve we can navigate these obstacles and chart a part towards lasting peace and prosperity for Nigeriens and ECOWAS.

“I send my sincere gratitude to all of you for your dedication and valuable contributions during this extraordinary summit. Your unwavering commitment to ECOWAS and the welfare of our continent is highly commendable.

“I want to thank you for your positive remarks and recognition given to me and the government and the people of Nigeria. May our collective efforts pave the way for a brighter future for Nigeriens and all Africans,” he added.

When asked when the defence chiefs in the region would meet,  the Director,  Defence Information,  Defence Headquarters,  Brig.  Gen.  Tukur Gusau, said ECOWAS would decide that and not the Defence Headquarters.

He said, “It is the responsibility of ECOWAS to convene such meetings, not DHQ.”

Notwithstanding the decision of the regional bloc to deploy troops against the junta, some Islamic clerics said they would, in the next few days, head for Niamey to interact with the military leaders through intermediaries.

The Ulamas led by Sheikh Bala Lau of Izalla group and Sheikh Abdurahman Ahmad of Ansar ud Deen had on Wednesday secured Tinubu’s approval to seek a truce with the junta in a bid to avoid bloodshed that could result from a military intervention in the Sahel country.

The Secretary-General of Jama’atu Nasril Islam, Prof Abubakar Aliyu, said the date for their departure had not been confirmed because the Islamic body had yet to hold its inaugural meeting.

 He, however, explained that the plan of the Islamic clerics was to reach out to their counterparts in Niger, who could influence the junta on the need for the amicable settlement of the debacle.

The JNI scribe insisted on non-military solution, arguing that the use of force would further lead to the destruction of human and material resources.

He said, “JNI is fully part of the Islamic clerics to embark on emissary journey to Niger Republic but no date yet because we are yet to hold our inaugural meeting to spell out the modality. But we are hoping that in a couple of days from now, may be a day or two, from now.

 “Our mandate is mediation between them and the Islamic clerics there who have a kind of understanding or influence on the coupists or military junta in order to get them to dialogue and see reasons for an amicable settlement of the debacle.

“We are insisting on non-use of force because it won’t yield any dividend. It’s unfashionable. Such force will only result to colossal waste of human and material resources.

“The deployment of the Economic Community of West African States Monitoring Group in Liberia and Sierra Leone entailed colossal loss of lives of our men and the level of money spent is unimaginable. Now, we are trying to curb internal security., we are unable to tackle that and we want to go into something else again.”