Mediators from West Africa will meet with coup leaders in Niger

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) sent a mission to meet with military leaders in Niger on Wednesday after the coup that ousted President Mohamed Bazoum last week.

During a meeting of the regional Committee of Chiefs of Defence Staff (CCDS) in Abuja to review the situation in Niamey, Abdulsalami Abubakar, a former military leader of Nigeria, is in charge of the mission.

If the putsch leaders don’t restore the democratically elected Bazoum within seven days of this past Sunday, ECOWAS has threatened to authorise the use of force and imposed economic and financial penalties on member-state Niger.

If the putsch leaders don’t restore the democratically elected Bazoum within seven days of this past Sunday, ECOWAS has threatened to authorise the use of force and imposed economic and financial penalties on member-state Niger.

Abdel-Fatau Musah, the ECOWAS commissioner for political affairs, peace, and security, stated that using force to overthrow the coup would only be considered as a last choice while speaking at the start of the three-day CCDS conference on Wednesday.

“The military option is the very last one available and the last resort, but we must be ready for anything. We need to show that we can bite in addition to barking, Musah told reporters in Abuja.

A Western military action in Niger, however, has been discouraged by Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, who claims that such a move would be seen as “new colonisation.”

Niamey, a vital ally of Western nations in the struggle against jihadist insurgencies in the Sahel region, has come under heavy criticism following the coup on June 26.

The erstwhile coloniser of Niger, France, said on Saturday that it has stopped providing any development assistance to the West African nation. Similar actions have been taken against the General Abdourahamane Tiani-led junta by the EU, Germany, and others, including the suspension of all budgetary assistance and security cooperation initiatives.

In contrast to France and Italy, who claimed earlier on Wednesday that they had flown some of their citizens to Paris and Rome, the EU declared on Tuesday that it would evacuate its citizens from Niamey.

The threat of military action, according to Russia, will only make things worse rather than make them better.