Niger Junta And ECOWAS Intervention -By Hakeem Layeni

The military coup of July 26, 2023, in the Niger Republic, during which members of the presidential guard detained the democratically elected president, Mohammed Bazoum, and other political leaders in custody, indicates how feeble democracy is in West Africa and foreshadows a complex tragedy of democratisation on the continent.

The recent Coup in the Republic of Niger poses uncertainty for the country’s inhabitants and entire West African states. The Republic of Niger is known for the production of uranium. Niger is also a hub for military and humanitarian activities and a strategic partner for Nigeria in the fight against Insurgency and terrorism in the Sahel and Nigeria.

Most Nigerian citizens affected by the Boko-Haram insurgency and banditry seek refuge in Niger Republic. Niger, to some Northerners, is an extension of Nigeria due to our shared history, intermarriage, and common languages that exist amongst the nationals of these two countries. The Coup broke out just two years after the country’s first civilian-to-civilian transition of power, following the completion of President Mohamadou Issoufou’s two terms in office as democratically elected president of the Republic of Niger. Issoufou handed over power to Muhammed Bazoum.

By and large, one of the major factors that precipitated to the recent Coup in Niger was the military adventurism that occurred in MALI, GUINEA, BURKINA FASO and CHAD, where military officers seized power from democratically elected presidents, justifying their actions with economic woes, corruption, and insecurity.

Since the Niger insurrection, the military has suspended the country’s constitution, closed borders with neighboring Nations, suspended all institutions of the country, and banned the use of social media by its nationals. However, the leader of the presidential national guard, General Abdourahamane Tchiani, has been announced as the new head of government of the Niger Republic.

The action taken by this military junta is widely supported by the majority of Niger nationals. The citizens of Niger are of the opinion that they prefer the military government to the government of Bazoum because they see Bazoum as an instrument of the West (France) against its own country and citizens. They also complained of neocolonialism bestowed on them by the French.

ECOWAS INTERVENTION
ECOWAS, among other supranational organizations, has responded with widespread condemnation of the military Coup in the Republic of Niger. These supranational organizations include the African Union, ECOWAS, the European Union, and the United Nations. These supranational organizations have called for the immediate and unconditional release of the democratically elected president of Niger and also warned that those involved in the coup will be held responsible if anything happens to President Bazoum and his family.

The coup in Niger Republic represents a new era in the unfolding tragedies in Africa and West Africa. The coup also imposes a fresh burden on the prospect of peace, stability, and democratic processes in West Africa and the Sahel, as the Niger Republic has served as a buffer zone in the fight against Insurgency in Nigeria. It should be on record that the Niger Republic coup ensued a few days after the newly elected ECOWAS chairman made it clear in his inaugural speech that military coups in West Africa would not be tolerated.
Immediately after the unwarranted Coup in Niger Republic, ECOWAS leaders held a summit in Abuja, Nigeria, where they unanimously sanctioned the Niger Republic and requested for the reinstatement of President Bazoum. ECOWAS also gave a one-week ultimatum to return to democracy, but the coupists were adamant about the ECOWAS ultimatum.

The chairman of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government also sent some notable personalities to Niger in order to mediate and convince the military juntas to return to democracy, reinstate President Bazoum, and allow democracy to strive in the Republic of Niger. The leader of the Coup refused to meet with the ECOWAS chairman’s delegation. The sending of delegations to the coupists is a form of diplomacy adopted by ECOWAS in order to achieve its political objective of restoring peace and democracy in the Republic of Niger.

On the 9th of August, 2023, the former Emir of Kano and the leader of the Tijaniyyah Islamic movement in Nigeria met with the junta leader in Niamey and briefed the ECOWAS Chairman on the outcome of his meeting with the Junta leader on getting back to Nigeria. The adoption of diplomacy is a gesture bestowed on the coupists by ECOWAS, but if diplomacy fails, what next?

Another extraordinary summit of ECOWAS was held in Abuja on August 10, 2023. In the communiqué of this summit, no option is taken off the table, including the use of force as the last resort in restoring democracy in the Republic of Niger. In that communiqué, ECOWAS said “If we don’t free Niger from the military juntas, no one else will do it for us”. ECOWAS also stated that “the road ahead will undoubtedly have challenges, but we firmly believe that with our collective resolve, we can navigate these obstacles and chart a path towards peace and prosperity for Nigeriens and citizens of ECOWAS”.

At the end of the last summit, the Authority of heads of state issued a unanimous directive to restore constitutional order in Niger. Dr. Omar Touray, president of the ECOWAS commission, said the leaders of ECOWAS have directed the chiefs of defence staff to activate the ECOWAS standby force with all its elements immediately. My candid advice to ECOWAS and its leadership is to jettison the ECOWAS forces for now and continue their diplomatic approach. If diplomacy is exhausted, then the ECOWAS standby force should intervene in order to restore democracy in Niger Republic.

NORTHERN ELITES AND ECOWAS SANCTIONS

While ECOWAS has shown commitment to restoring peace and democracy in the Republic of Niger, majority of the Northern elites sees those sanctions on Niger as an attack on Northern Nigeria.

Some respected elites of Northern extraction has told the president to prioritise national interests above regional interests, forgetting the fact that Africa is the centerpiece of Nigeria’s foreign policy. This means Africa should be given a place of pride in Nigeria’s foreign policy formulation, and any ‘issue’ that happens to any African Union (AU) member state would be of great concern to Nigeria, as stated in the country’s foreign policy.

The Northern elites also urged the president and chairman of ECOWAS to resolve the Niger Republic crisis diplomatically instead of deploying ECOWAS forces. However, it should be noted at this point that the president of Nigeria cannot singlehandedly decide for ECOWAS because ECOWAS consists of West African state leaders, and Nigeria’s president cannot decide what to do despite being the chairman of the supranational body.

The president of Ivory Coast made it clear in his recent interview that the Niger crisis is beyond Nigeria, and it’s not a battle between Nigeria and Niger Republic but ECOWAS versus the Juntas in Niger Republic. ECOWAS has also adopted the use of diplomacy since the military Juntas took over the government of Niger by sending emissaries and high personalities to mediate and appeal to the Juntas to allow democracy to strive in the Republic of Niger.

The diplomacy adopted by ECOWAS hasn’t yielded any positive results, as the coupists remain adamant. Most of the Northern elites should know that military rule in the Niger Republic might exacerbate insecurity in some parts of Northern Nigeria, and ECOWAS has to nip the Juntas in the bud once and for all. If we were to consider the relationship between Nigeria and the Republic of Niger and allow National interest to override regional interest in the case of Niger, then we are not serious as a Nation.

In 2010, Laurent Gbagbo, the then president of Ivory Coast, lost an election; he refused to accept defeat and step down until ECOWAS stepped in by using ECOWAS forces to restore peace to the country. Also in 2017, Yahaya Jammeh lost an election and refused to step down until ECOWAS stepped in by using ECOWAS forces to restore peace in Gambia. No Northern elite criticised or advised the former president, Muhammadu Buhari, not to join ECOWAS in restoring peace in Gambia. Why is Niger different? Is it because we have a shared cultural heritage and languages? What’s good for the goose is good for the gander.

CONCLUSION
There is a military coup in the Republic of Niger, and ECOWAS is stepping in to intervene, so there will be no war between Nigeria and Niger Republic.

Nigeria, just as other West African states, cannot fold its arms while things go awful before she intervenes. ECOWAS is towing the right path; the Northern elites should stop making a mountain out of a molehill because of the cultural affiliations we have with the people of Niger.

I’m of the opinion that diplomacy won’t yield fruition in Niger, but ECOWAS should pave way for more diplomatic engagements for posterity’s sake. Force is the only solution to peace in the Republic of Niger because diplomacy will fail. It’s neither we allow them to continue as a military country nor we use the element of FORCE to oust the military Juntas.