Niger Coup: ECOWAS Defence Chiefs insist on military action
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has secured the backing of the military of 10 of the 15 member states in its efforts to restore democratic government in Republic of Niger.
The 10 countries on Thursday in Ghana expressed readiness to participate in a standby force should the need arises.
The ECOWAS Heads of government in their recent emergency summit asked Defence Chiefs to activate its standby force.
This follows the forceful removal from office the democratically elected president, Mohamed Bazoum on July 26 by the military junta led by General Abdourahamane Tchiani.
All member states except those under military rule and Cape Verde pledged to participate in the standby force, according to an international news agency, Reuters.
ECOWAS commissioner, Abdel-Fatau Musah, was quoted to have said: “Let no one be in doubt if everything else fails, the valiant forces of West Africa…are ready to answer to the call of duty.
“By all means available, constitutional order will be restored in the country,” Musah told assembled defence Chiefs from member countries, listing past ECOWAS deployments in Gambia, and Liberia as examples of readiness.
Al Jazeera also quoted Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Gwabin Musa, to have said, “Democracy is what we stand for and it’s what we encourage.
“The focus of our gathering is not simply to react to events, but to proactively chart a course that results in peace and promote stability.”
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The presidential guards seized power from President Mohamed Bazoum on July 26, making the ECOWAS to issue a one-week ultimatum to the military to restore the president or risk sanctions.
The military ignored the ECOWAS threats and vowed to resist foreign intervention.
In the same vein, the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) bloc in Nigeria has endorsed the stand taken by both the African Union (AU) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) on the political impasse.
The SADC in Nigeria made up of Zimbabwe, Zambia, Botswana, DR Congo, South Africa, Angola, Tanzania and Namibia threw its weight behind the actions taken so far by the continental body and the West African subregional bloc to force the military junta led by General Abdourahamane Tchiani to hand over power back to President Mohamed Bazoum.
Speaking with journalists at Hope of Survival Ophanage Home, Abuja where the SADC donated food items to orphans as part of activities to mark the organisation’s anniversary, the High Commissioner of Namibia to Nigeria and the Dean of the SADC, H.E. Humphrey Geiseb, said the Southern Africa is part of the African Union and definitely concerned about the situations of coups as expressed by ECOWAS which is a regional body just like the Southern Africa Development Community, and equally by the African Union.
He said: “So, we are fully behind the statements and positions of ECOWAS and the African Union.”
Geiseb, while noting that Southern African region is mostly peaceful, as “we hold regular elections and democracy is very strong in our region,” said there is need for continuity of democracy everywhere on the continent.
Geiseb who led other envoys from SADC in Nigeria to the donation of the food items put at over N3 million, explained that the Southern Africa region is part of the African Union, stressing that whatever happens in other regions of the African continent indirectly affects SADC.
Speaking about the decision to visit the orphanage, he said the SADC wanted to provide succour to the orphans and also demonstrate the enduring friendship between the Southern African countries and the government and people of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
He said: “We came to celebrate with the orphanage here by making official donations.
“This is our way of honoring the Southern Africa Development Community as well as the Federal Government of Nigeria which has supported strongly the liberation struggle of Southern Africa.
“Today, our sub-continent is free and independent. Many of our countries can recall that the Federal Republic of Nigeria has strongly supported us during the dark days of colonialism.”
While commending the SADC for the gesture, Mrs. Ruth Ibrahim, proprietress of the orphanage home, said the gifts would go a long way in helping her to feed the 75 children under the care of the home.
She, however, called for assistance in paying the school fees of the children in the orphanage home, stressing that it had been difficult for the management to cope with the high cost of education in the country.
- The Nation
