Niger junta warns against intervention ahead of West African leaders’ summit
Niger coup leaders warned against any armed intervention in the country as West African leaders are set to gather on Sunday to discuss restoration of constitutional order following the last week’s coup which affected the unstable Sahel region.
The junta spokesperson Colonel Amadou Abdramane said in a statement read out on national television on Saturday evening that the meeting aims to approve a “plan of aggression against Niger.”
“The objective of the [Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)] meeting is to approve a plan of aggression against Niger through an imminent military intervention in Niamey in collaboration with other African countries that are non-members of ECOWAS, and certain western countries,” the statement said.
“We want to once more remind ECOWAS or any other adventurer, of our firm determination to defend our homeland,” he said.
The heads of state of the 15-member ECOWAS, and the eight-member West African Economic and Monetary Union are scheduled to meet in Nigeria to look for ways to restore president Mohamed Bazoum who was ousted when Gen Abdourahamane Tchiani was declared the new head of state.
To do so they could suspend Niger from its institutions, cut off the country from the regional central bank and financial market, and close borders.
The junta also issued a second statement on Saturday night inviting citizens in the capital to take to the streets from 7 am local time to protest against ECOWAS and show support for the new military leaders
Niger’s neighbors and international partners have widely condemned the military coup in Niger and refused to recognize the new leaders and demanded that Bazoum be restored to power.
The European Union and the United Nations Security Council have mounted pressure on Niger coup leaders, while the African Union has issued a 15-day ultimatum to the military to return to the barracks.
The EU’s foreign policy chief Josep Borell announced the suspension of security cooperation with Niger coup leader last week, saying that the bloc would not recognize “the authorities from the putsch in Niger.”
The United Nations Security Council also joined the chorus of international condemnation of the power grab, calling for the immediate and unconditional release of Bazoum.
According to the World Bank, Niger is one of the poorest countries in the world, receiving close to $2 billion a year in official development assistance.
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