An army leaders gathering in Ghana on Thursday to discuss the specifics of a standby force was informed by a senior official that the West African bloc ECOWAS is prepared to intervene militarily in Niger should diplomatic efforts to overthrow a coup there fail.
Abdel-Fatau Musah, the ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace, and Security, charged that the junta that overthrew President Mohamed Bazoum on July 26 was “playing cat and mouse” with the organisation by refusing to meet with envoys and looking for excuses for the coup.
He informed the gathering chiefs of defence staff from member nations, “The military and the civilian forces of West Africa are ready to answer the call of duty.”
He cited previous ECOWAS deployments in the Gambia, Liberia, and other countries as illustrations of readiness.
“If necessary, we would send our own contingents, resources, and equipment into Niger to ensure that the rule of law is reinstated. Other democratic allies are invited to join in supporting us, he said.
Musah harshly chastised the junta for declaring that it had the necessary components to try Bazoum, who is now being held, for treason. The incarceration circumstances for this man have drawn the attention of the UN, EU, and ECOWAS.
The absurdity of the issue is that a person who is currently being held prisoner is also facing treason charges. Nobody knows for sure when he committed high treason, Musah claimed.
(Reuters)
