NIGER/Crisis: Ecowas chiefs of staff opt for the diplomatic approach

ECOWAS chiefs of staff met for 2 days in Accra, Ghana, to examine the option of military intervention in Niger.

The meeting was held to implement ECOWAS’s decision to restore constitutional order and allow deposed President Mohamed Bazoum to resume his duties.At the end of the meeting, Abdel Fatau Musa, ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, assured participants that diplomacy was still an option for resolving the crisis in Niger. The Community « will give diplomacy a chance, but (military) force will be ready to respond if all else fails », he declared.

General Christopher Gwabin Musa, Nigeria’s Chief of Defense Staff, explained that « the army is only a tool for the government, for ECOWAS », and that nothing will be acted upon until « the ECOWAS Commission makes a final decision. »

For General Gwabin Musa, ECOWAS will only intervene militarily when diplomatic channels fail. However, he points out that the community will not engage in endless talks. The reports of this meeting will be submitted to the ECOWAS Commission for a final decision, he indicated.The military intervention was decided by ECOWAS, following an umpteenth meeting held on August 10 in Abuja. The decision was opposed by several member states of the community, including Cape Verde.

As a result, two trends emerged within ECOWAS: those in favor on the one hand, and those opposed on the other. The divergence of opinions within the community is not conducive to clear decision-making. Several voices have drawn ECOWAS’s attention to the consequences of this intervention. According to many, the reinstatement of President Bazoum is more of a concern to ECOWAS than the lives of the populations of its member states. The consequences could be disastrous, not only for Niger, but for the whole of Africa. ECOWAS must therefore be a community of states, not a community of individuals.

To preserve the sovereignty and security of its member states, ECOWAS must once again return to the discussion table to work out the details of a peaceful way out of the crisis.

Ishabatou LY