West African heads of state are expected this Thursday for an extraordinary ECOWAS summit. Only one subject will be on the agenda: the situation in Niger. The leaders will have to make the choice, ten days after the coup, between dialogue or a military operation.
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Will West African heads of state announce a military operation? Or reveal significant progress in their contacts with the Nigerien junta? The prospect of a military operation does indeed seem to be on the wane, but the soldiers stationed in Niamey still display an intractable attitude.
Be that as it may, ECOWAS is going through a crucial moment when its repeated attempts to outline a way out of the crisis have seemed very futile so far. The very existence of ECOWAS is at stake, according to the president of Guinea-Bissau.
The President of Guinea-Bissau, Umaro Sissoco Embalo
The situation is difficult for the organization because the pressure is clearly rising between ECOWAS and the putschists since the coup that overthrew Nigerien President Mohamed Bazoum.
” No option was ruled out »
To the economic sanctions, the military in power in Niamey opposed their refusal to establish a dialogue. A first Nigerian delegation had to turn around last week, then it was a joint mission of ECOWAS, the African Union and the UN which was dismissed on Monday evening.
However, the links do not seem to be completely broken. This Wednesday, the former emir of Kano and ex-governor of the Nigerian central bank, the highly respected Lamido Sanusi, was finally able to meet General Abdourahamane Tiani in Niamey. “ I came hoping that my visit could open the way to dialogue. I had frank and constructive exchanges with General Tiani and I am returning to meet the Nigerian President to report to him. “said Lamido Sanusi, who clarified that he was not an emissary of the government of his country.
The summit will open and close with a speech by Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the current head of ECOWAS, whose future is more than ever in the hot seat. The statesman reaffirmed that dialogue remains the “ best way forward ” but “ no option was ruled out “says his spokesperson.
An ambiguity shared by the Ivorian delegation led by Alassane Ouattara accompanied by his chief of staff, Fidèle Sarassoro, and the deputy secretary general of the presidency, Masséré Touré. The Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Finance as well as the Chief of Defense Staff will also be present. And according to a source close to the government, the position of Côte d’Ivoire should remain firm to tighten the noose on the Nigerien junta.
But for the moment, Côte d’Ivoire intends to play the balance in order to mobilize international opinion for the next stage, which could be military. The main objective being to make the putschists in Niger an example for the sub-region, explains our source, even if the role of Côte d’Ivoire in a possible armed intervention by ECOWAS has not yet been clarified by the authorities.
Calls for dialogue
And the closer the summit gets, the more voices are heard against a military operation that would greatly destabilize the region. For example, in a letter addressed to Bola Tinubu, several former prime ministers and presidents of the National Assembly of Niger called for dialogue with the putschists.
They say to themselves ” preoccupied by the future of Niger. Former President Ousmane, former prime ministers Rafini, Oumarou and even Amadou denounce the ” threat of military intervention of ECOWAS. ” We ask you to use diplomatic and political channels to find peaceful and constructive solutions with the army. “. In total, they are 14 former Nigerien leaders to have signed this letter addressed to Bola Tinubu also asking ” the lifting of all sanctions of ECOWAS. ” They are from our point of view unbearable, ineffective and inappropriate and will have catastrophic and unimaginable consequences. “, they conclude.
“ It is only when there is no dialogue that we do not find a solution. The soldiers who have taken power know that they are risking their lives and their survival. Those who have lost power know that they are in a difficult situation. Everyone should put a little water in their wine and the compromise can be found “, reacted for his part Ablasse Ouedraogo, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Burkina Faso and former mediator in the Tuareg crisis of 94 in Niger.
Calls for dialogue are also coming from the country. Faced with the repeated failures of diplomacy, Diallo Cheikh Louindou, secretary general of the MCDDH, calls on the putschists to sit down at the negotiating table. He fears that the behavior of putschist Tiani will push West African leaders to opt for military intervention.
Diallo Cheikh Louindou, Secretary General of the MCDDH