Coup
Niger: Ecowas Parliament wants to send its own mediators
After the military took power in Niger, the West African community of states discussed Ecowas at the end of the week about how to proceed against the putschists. photo
© Gbemiga Olamikan/AP/dpa
The president has been ousted and the putschists have formed an interim government. How will the conflict with neighboring countries continue? The Ecowas countries are now looking for a local discussion.
In the conflict between the new military junta in Niger and the neighboring countries, the parliament of the West African community of states wants Ecowas send its own mediation team to the putschists. The MPs of the economic bloc decided this at an extraordinary virtual meeting on Saturday, as reported by the Nigerian state international broadcaster Voice of Nigeria on Sunday.
At a special summit on Thursday, Ecowas leaders ordered a military stand-by force to be activated to restore constitutional order after the coup d’état in Niger. At the same time, diplomatic efforts to find a peaceful solution should continue to have priority. Niger’s new rulers have so far refused to receive official Ecowas delegations. A group of Islamic clerics traveled to Niger on Saturday.
Niger, a country with around 26 million inhabitants and one of the poorest populations in the world, was one of the last democratic partners of the USA and European states in the Sahel region on the southern edge of the Sahara before the coup. France and the US have important military bases in the country, which is also on a key migration route to Europe. On July 26, the military ousted the president and suspended the constitution. The putschists have since appointed their own interim government.
According to the information, the delegation of the Ecowas Parliament includes MPs from most of the eleven active Ecowas member states – four states including Niger are suspended after military coups. According to the report, during a discussion in parliament, most MPs spoke out against a possible military intervention in Niger. Others called for the bloc to defend itself against military coups.