The ECOWAS chiefs of staff were to meet this Saturday, August 12 in Accra, the capital of Ghana, to agree and then inform their leaders “of the best options” as to their decision to activate and deploy the “standby force” to restore order in Niger. The meeting has been postponed indefinitely for “technical reasons”, according to regional military sources.
The timetable and terms of a possible West African military intervention in Niger have not been disclosed. According to Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara, whose country will contribute to this “standby force”, it should be able to intervene “as soon as possible”.
Concern around Mohamed Bazoum
More than two weeks after the coup that overthrew him on July 26, concerns are growing for President Mohamed Bazoum, held prisoner with his wife and son, in “inhuman” conditions, according to the UN . Antony Blinken, the head of American diplomacy, said he was “dismayed” on Friday by the refusal of the military to release the family of the president, as a “sign of goodwill”.
According to one of Mohamed Bazoum’s relatives, the new masters of Niamey have brandished “the threat” of attacking him if an armed intervention takes place. “The intervention is going to be risky, he is aware of it, he considers that we need a return to constitutional order, with or without him”, because “the rule of law is more important than his person”, assured to AFP one of his advisers.
Hope for a peaceful resolution
In Abuja, ECOWAS however reaffirmed its hope for a resolution through diplomatic channels. Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, who holds the organization’s rotating presidency, said he hoped “to reach a peaceful resolution”, with the use of force only being considered as a “last resort”. The decisions of ECOWAS received the “full support” of France, as well as the United States. These two countries had made Niger a pivot of their system in the fight against the armed jihadists who are sowing death in a destabilized Sahel.
The threat of intervention was first brandished on July 30 by West African leaders, who issued a seven-day ultimatum to the soldiers in Niamey to restore President Bazoum, under pain of using “force” – no effect follow-up. Since then, the Nigerien military have been intransigent. They refused last Tuesday to host a joint delegation from ECOWAS, the African Union (AU) and the UN.
They also announced the formation of a new government led by a civilian prime minister, which met for the first time on Friday. Neighboring Mali and Burkina Faso, also ruled by soldiers, showed their solidarity with Niamey. According to an adviser to the Malian presidency on condition of anonymity, one of the strong men of the Nigerian regime, General Salifou Mody, the new Minister of Defense, made a short visit to Mali on Friday.
A new anti-France rally in Niamey
“Down with France, down with ECOWAS,” chanted the thousands of demonstrators gathered peacefully on Friday near the French military base in Niamey. They waved Russian and Nigerian flags and shouted their support for the ruling military, especially their leader, General Abdourahamane Tiani.
“We are going to make the French leave! ECOWAS is not independent, it is a manipulation of France, there is an outside influence,” said Aziz Rabeh Ali, a member of a student union. The Nigerien soldiers have taken France, a former colonial power, as a privileged target, accusing it of being behind the decision of ECOWAS. France, an ally of Niger before the coup and unwavering support of the overthrown president, has some 1,500 men engaged with the Nigerien army in the fight against jihadist groups in the Sahel.