The bugbear of military coups sweeping across West Africa sub region is presenting ominous signs of a gradual abandonment of democratic ideals. The seeming desperate attempt to reactivate the discarded option of military regimes that once dominated the political landscape, in spite of its adverse implications is, in our opinion, disturbing.
The sub region, besieged by terrorism and banditry, is beginning to grapple with coups. Already, democratically elected governments in Mali, Guinea and Burkina Faso have been toppled. And now Niger Republic.
The insurrection that drew Niger Republic into the orbit of countries under the jackboot occurred when a group of soldiers, led by the head of that country’s presidential guard, Abdourahmane Tchiani, late last month, toppled the democratically- elected government of Mohammed Basoum and seized power.
For the record, Niger is a landlocked country of 1,270,000 km2 (490,000 sq miles), making it the largest landlocked country in West Africa. Over 80 per cent of its land area lies in the Sahara. Its predominantly Muslim population is estimated at about 25 million. The country has been struggling with two Islamist insurgencies – one in the south-west, which swept in from Mali in 2015, and the other in the south-east, involving jihadists based in north-eastern Nigeria. So, when news filtered in that another coup had taken place in Niger, making it the fourth successful coup in the sub region in the last three years, anxiety gripped the international community.
In response, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the United Nations (UN), the European Union, the African Union (AU) and the international community generally have all denounced the forceful takeover and imposed varying levels of sanctions. The United Nations Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, in condemning the coup, frowned at any effort to seize power by force that would undermine democratic governance, peace and stability in Niger. He urged all actors involved to exercise restraint and to ensure the protection of constitutional order.
ECOWAS has, perhaps, imposed the harshest sanctions against the putschists. Rising from its 55th summit of Authority of Heads of State and Government in Abuja, the region directed the closure of land and air borders between member states and Niger Republic. The Authority also, after that meeting, issued a seven-day ultimatum to the military in Niger Republic to restore ousted President Muhammed Bazoum to office.
The West African regional body, among other sanctions, ordered the freezing of all Niger Republic enterprises and parastatals in commercial banks in all ECOWAS member states and restricted Niger from Institution of ECOWAS as well as no flight zone to all commercial flights to and from Niger.
However, the soldiers who seized power and has continued to hold President Basoum hostage have remained adamant as 62-year-old Tchiani, announced himself as leader of a transitional government and head of state. The plotters insist that the coup was carried out to stem ‘the gradual and inevitable demise’ of the country. They castigated the ousted President over his poor handling of the security challenge in the country as well as the abject poverty bedeviling the country due to poor economy.
Reacting to the coup, President Bola Tinubu, who is also the chairman of the ECOWAS, said that unconstitutional change of government in that country is unacceptable in a time where concerted efforts are being made to stabilize the sub-region and uphold the principles of democracy and good governance.
Following the ultimatum issued by ECOWAS to the coup leaders in Niger, the coupists warned that any military intervention against their determination to save their country from sliding into chaos will be resisted.
We are saddened by this spate of coups in West Africa at a time the region is trying to consolidate democracy. We strongly denounce military takeovers and join the rest of the global community in the call to reinstate democracy in Niger and other countries bedeviled by coups.
We, also, call on ECOWAS and other regional bodies including the United Nations to exercise caution in the way they handle this dicey matter in Niger in order to avert a breakdown of law and order. The prospect of military intervention in Niger may escalate the situation in the country and plunge it into civil strife. We believe that diplomatic engagements with the power usurpers in Niger might go a long way to pressure them to set a timeline for the return of democracy.
In the meantime, it is pertinent to point out that democracy, in the sub region, has not yielded the anticipated economic and infrastructural development proceeds. That, in our considered opinion, is the causative factor which foreign interests are exploiting to instigate the kind of scenario playing out in Niger and elsewhere. Good governance, in our view, is the only way to keep soldiers in their barracks.
