The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) says
it has begun the activation of its standby force in Niger Republic to restore
constitutional order.
ECOWAS said this after a meeting of the bloc’s defence
chiefs in Accra, Ghana’s capital city, on Wednesday.
“To this end, the ECOWAS committee of chiefs of defence
staff will be having an extraordinary meeting in Accra, Ghana from 17th to 18th
August 2023 to finalise plans for the deployment of the standby force,” the
statement reads.
Although the defence chiefs had backed the calls for dialogue as a mediation tactic in Niger, the group said all elements that would go into any military intervention had been worked out and were being refined.
This included the timing, resources needed and how, where
and when to deploy such force.
Last Thursday, ECOWAS directed the deployment of standby
military troops in Niger after the country’s junta defied the bloc’s deadline
to reinstate ousted President Mohamed Bazoum.
The resolve was made at the end of the second extraordinary
summit held to resolve the crisis.
Speaking at the meeting, President Bola Tinubu, ECOWAS
chairperson, said the bloc’s leaders were mandated to exhaust all avenues of
engagement to ensure a swift return to constitutional governance in Niger.
Tinubu said it was necessary for action because the
political crisis in Niger not only poses a threat to the stability of the
nation but also has far-reaching implications for the entire West African
region.
The ECOWAS chairperson assured that the bloc would remain
steadfast in its commitment to supporting Niger in the journey towards peaceful
democratic stability in the country.
Few days after the bloc’s actions, Niger’s military junta
said they were ready to explore diplomatic dialogue after a meeting with
Nigeria’s intervention team comprising Islamic scholars.
However, in a fresh twist, the Niger military administration
said it would prosecute the “deposed president and his local and foreign
accomplices before the competent national and international authorities for
high treason and undermining internal and external security”.
ECOWAS kicked against the development, saying Bazoum’s
prosecution would contradict the earlier accepted willingness of the junta to
restore constitutional order through peaceful means.
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