Kofi Ampeah Woode
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has asserted that it was already on the verge of activating the Standby Force in its kinetic mode, in the fight against terrorism in the sub-region, by setting up a counterterrorism force, with already agreed budget, just before the Niger putsch.
Speaking to the press after the two-day extraordinary meeting of ECOWAS Committee of Chiefs of Defence Staff at Burma Camp in Accra, Ghana, on Friday 18 August 2023, to fine-tune a military intervention plan in Niger to restore constitutional rule, the Political Affairs, Peace and Security Commissioner – Ambassador Dr Abdel-Fatau Musah revealed and said the coup d’états in Niger had been a distraction to the sub-region’s security plans.
Ambassador Musah said all that was awaited was the activation for a force to go up and help drive out terrorism, since it had been identified as defining the conflict environment in West Africa, currently, with the particular triangle of Mali-Burkina Faso-Niger gaining notoriety.
He however, stated that in order not to add to the insecurity of the sub-region, the military intervention plan is not to go to war against Niger as a country, but to restore the country to constitutional order and to ensure that the military in the country stick to the Defence of the territorial integrity of Niger.
He further hinted that an ECOWAS delegation would once again attempt to go to engage the junta in Niger over the weekend, on a peaceful and diplomatic path (with exception against endless dialogue), sanctions are being applied against the regime, with the military intervention as an alternative, should the junta continue in their intransigence against the regional body, thus, all options are on the table, for the objective of the restoration of Niger to constitutional order, in the shortest possible time.
The Commissioner said the planning mission which started on the 2nd of August, 2023, had come to an end, with an agreed and fine-tuned military intervention plan, with strategic capacity and objectives, and all Member States present pledging resources, elements and equipment for the force, for the attainment of the objectives set for the mission – returning Niger to constitutional rule.
D-day, he continued, is set if approved by the Authority of the Heads of State and Government of ECOWAS, and that there will be no more meetings of the CDSs before deployment of force, with an exception being in the course of the operation, if there is the need to adjust the operation.
Dr Musah continued that although military intervention is not a preferred option, should that be necessary, ECOWAS will be using its own resources, and that the sub-regional body is acting on principles by ‘drawing a line in the sand’ against the military toppling constitutionally elected governments, contrary to rumours that ECOWAS is being directed by powers from elsewhere.
On the effects of the global economic downturn on the campaign, he said the people of Niger have already suffered under the downturn through terrorism, and that ECOWAS needs to sacrifice somehow in order to correct the situation, and cannot use the global downturn as a ruse to be silent, and that there would be even more devastating effects on the economies of ECOWAS, if the status quo obtains.
On humanitarian measures, Commissioner Musah said it has been planned for from the first consideration by economists, and its magnitude would largely depend on the reaction of the junta, with over 700,000 Nigeria refugees and others in Niger affected already, being planned for.
He concluded on the justification of the intervention that ECOWAS is a rule-based organization, and that member states have signed up to certain obligations, which makes them cede part of their sovereignty for the collective good of ECOWAS, and the junta in Niger have flouted the ECOWAS supplementary protocol.
“What we are doing is to free the military to concentrate on their primary responsibilities in Niger, to making sure they fight terrorism, which defines the security landscape today. Since the coup d’états, there has been an uptake in terrorist attacks. Just a couple of days ago, 25 soldiers, including 3 Officers were killed in a terrorist attack. Niger had not experienced that for months. We have seen signs of restlessness in some of the ethnic groups like the touareg and the others”, Ambassador Musah said.
The Chairman of the Committee of CDSs – General Christopher Musah, CDS of the Nigerian Armed Forces (NAF) said, “We have done our parts and duty. We have arrived at our decisions, which we are going to present to the ECOWAS COMMISSION for implementation. As we are all aware, the military is a tool for ECOWAS. In this case we are going to present our report to ECOWAS Commission. We are not here to discuss what the plans are, however, all we have to say is in our deliberations. We were sincere, fair and were based on facts. We want peace and security to prevail in the ECOWAS region”.
By Kofi Ampeah-Woode
