Niger Republic Watching ECOWAS After Disobeying Orders

The Niger Republic declared on Monday, August 7, that it was waiting for a response from ECOWAS, the West African regional group after coup leaders missed a deadline to restore the overthrown president.

The EU, US, France, and Russia expressed their hopes for a peaceful conclusion while the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) stated it would publish a statement on its next moves in response to the junta’s failure to step down to Sunday.

The region’s seventh coup in three years occurred on July 26 and ECOWAS has taken a strong position against it.

Although they said that operational choices regarding when and where to strike would be made by heads of state, the ECOWAS defence chiefs agreed on a potential military action plan should the arrested president, Mohamed Bazoum, not be freed and reinstalled.

Niger Republic is important economically and strategically for the United States, Europe, China, and Russia because of its oil and uranium resources, as well as its crucial role in the fight against Islamist militants.

The junta declared its airspace blocked on Sunday as the ECOWAS deadline approached and claimed to have pre-deployed armed personnel to its borders in anticipation of an intervention.

“Niger’s armed forces and all our defence and security forces, backed by the unfailing support of our people, are ready to defend the integrity of our territory,” said a Niger military representative in a statement on national television on Monday.

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The results of an ECOWAS-proposed military intervention are also unknown because Burkina Faso and Mali, Niger’s neighbours, have vowed to defend it if necessary. The Malian army said on social media on Monday that both nations were sending delegations to Niamey to express their solidarity.

In an interview that was published on Monday, Antonio Tajani, the foreign minister of Italy, suggested that ECOWAS prolong the date for the reinstatement of Bazoum.

“The only way is the diplomatic one. I hope that the ultimatum of ECOWAS, which expired last night at midnight, will be extended today,” Tajani told La Stampa newspaper.

“It is right that he (Bazoum) should be freed, but we cannot do it. The United States are very cautious about this, it is unthinkable that they would start a military intervention in Niger,” Tajani added.