If the sound of arms were to be heard in Niamey, ECOWAS knows that it will have the consent of Paris. On Thursday evening, France expressed full support for the Economic Community of West African States, which validated the same day the military option to put an end to the coup in Niger.
Paris supports “all the conclusions adopted on the occasion of the extraordinary summit” of ECOWAS in Abuja, including the decision to activate the deployment of a “standby force”, meant the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs. At the same time, the head of American diplomacy Antony Blinken declared that his country supported “the leadership and the work” of the regional organization to allow the return to constitutional order in Niger, without however explicitly approving the decision to deploy its strength. He also then once again expressed his preference for the diplomatic channel: “The United States appreciates the determination of ECOWAS to explore all options for a peaceful resolution of the crisis”.
The very clear message of ECOWAS to the putschists
For now, ECOWAS is still hoping for a diplomatic solution, but its message, relayed by Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara, to the soldiers who took power in Niamey is very clear: the threat of intervention is more than serious and the operation can “start as soon as possible”. We must try “to the end” any attempt at mediation, also summed up a Western official, while noting that all attempts in this area have so far yielded nothing and that the authors of the putsch remain intransigent.
A military intervention to release elected President Mohamed Bazoum, his wife and son, and restore him to office could therefore materialize very soon. Paris has always considered that a military option should remain on the table since the coup d’état that occurred on July 26. Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna has indeed hammered home the coup d’état “too many” in the region and argues that the restoration of constitutional order was crucial for this country and its struggling neighbors. with the jihadist movements and the Russian influence of the Wagner group.
Towards military support from the West?
But could the support of European and American partners extend to support for a military operation? According to Western officials, no request from ECOWAS has been made at this stage. But in Paris, it is implied that any request would be studied closely. France has 1,500 soldiers in Niamey, engaged in the fight against jihadists under Nigerien command, while the United States has a force of a thousand men.
Emmanuel Macron, on vacation at Fort Brégançon, also made a point Thursday evening at the end of the ECOWAS summit with his “ministers, his teams” and the French ambassador to Niamey, said the Elysée. “He also continues to talk with his European and American partners, as well as with his ECOWAS counterparts,” the same source added.