Since soldiers of the Presidential Guard toppled democratically elected President of Niger Republic, Mohamed Bazoum on July 26, 2023, the international community has been united in condemning the coup in the beleaguered West African country.
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is perhaps more vehement in denouncing the coup and immediately imposed a raft of crippling sanctions on Niger and issued a threat of the use of force to restore democratic order in the country.
The West African regional bloc led by its chairman, Bola Tinubu, who is also the President of Nigeria, on July 30, during the summit of the Heads of state and government in Abuja, issued a one -week ultimatum to the military junta in Niger led by Abdourahamane Tchiani to relinquish power or face military intervention. The ultimatum has since expired but the coup leaders appear to be consolidating their power and even threatened to put the deposed president on trial for what they referred to as “high treason”.
The coup plotters seem to be enjoying mass support in the country as seen by big crowds that turns out always to support them. The people seem to back the coup leaders in their quest to protect the resources of the country againt exploitation by colonial power France. They are also enjoying solidarity of fellow coupists in Mali and Burkina Faso, who have threatened to support Niger in an event of war.
The development in Niger is now very disturbing because the ECOWAS leaders appeared to have ignored the strident calls from prominent leaders in Nigeria and groups for the diplomatic option as they have instead began mobilisation of forces to invade Niger following uncertainties about the success of diplomatic moves.
Rising from a two-day meeting, which ended in Accra, Ghana, on Friday August 18, the Defence Chiefs of ECOWAS disclosed that they have reached an agreement on a “D-day” for a possible “military intervention to restore civil rule in Niger Republic if diplomatic efforts fail.”
The ECOWAS Heads of States and Government met for a second time in Abuja on August 10 and directed the deployment of a “standby force” to restore democracy in Niger.
Speaking on Thursday after the Defence Chiefs’ meeting, ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, Abdel-Fatau Musah, said the “D-Day” for the military intervention in Niger Republic had been agreed, without disclosing the exact date.
Musah said: “We are ready to go anytime the order is given. The D-Day is also decided. We’ve already agreed and fine-tuned what will be required for the intervention.”
He noted that the community was still seeking to engage with the junta peacefully, saying, “As we speak, we are still readying a mediation mission into the country, so we have not shut any door.”
The threat of the use of force to restore democratic order in Niger Republic has generated massive opposition even among members of the ECOWAS Parliament, religious leaders and many groups within Nigeria and outside who have warned of severe consequences of a war on neighbouring countries especially Nigeria.
International Constitutional law expert, Livingston Wechie, told our correspondent that foreign military intervention will be counterproductive and will play the region into the antics of the West, who want to reengineer instability within the region which is the plot of the West and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
“It is important that a war today in Niger will amount to a regional confrontation and escalate further against our development. A war in Niger will not affect any imperial Western state but give them the room to further exploit the region to sell arms in exchange for our resources. The sole beneficiary of a war in Niger will be France, “he said.
While it is imperative to sustain genuine democracy in the region, the expert castigated the West especially former colonial power France and the US for their hypocrisy and wondered why there is so much interest in restoring democracy in Niger when the West supports military dictatorship elsewhere and also back some leaders who embarked on undemocratic means to prolong their stay in power in the region.
He said “the question then is why is France or America not interested in regime change of the seat tight powers in Africa? It is solely because they perpetuate these anti people’s governments to limit Africa’s development. Without prejudice, nothing in Niger or most West African States and by extension many African States suggests the presence of a democracy ab initio.
“Are you restoring democracy as defined by the west as it applies to only Africa or you want to restore Western or imperialism that was uprooted by popular citizens actions?”
He noted that Africa must be allowed to build their own institutions for sustainable governance in the continent without Western dictation.
“France and indeed their NATO allies must stop this exploitation of African natural resources and that is the genesis of the problem. You must allow Africa to grow and develop properly through institutional processes in a manner that reflects those peculiarities. I think countries like Niger among others need at this time the solidarity of their African brothers at this time to restart and push for their development. You can only condemn what you call a coup d’état if the government was building institutional walls and promoting genuine democratic structures,” he added.
According to Wechie the way out is for African States to say no to imperialism, take a stand against neocolonialism and evolve self-governance model, like model of making laws that will enhance their growth through a popular mandate.
“The era of playing the Western script is no longer tenable because knowledge and consciousness has grown so deep. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu must rethink the war drum and never allow his administration to become a tool to advance a French or NATO interest.
“The situation in Niger is a case of citizens’ protestation against imperialism and the message must be clearly understood before you think of a solution. Other West African countries including Mali, Burkina Faso within the region have sent out this same message of a red flag by taking back their countries from Old colonial holds such as France which have held these states to ransom after the Pact that has given France an endless colonial foothold over these states”, he said.
