ECOWAS had threatened the putschists in Niger with a military invasion. A corresponding ultimatum has now expired, but the confederation of states does not want to discuss how to proceed until Thursday.
After the end of an ultimatum from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to the putschists in Niger, there are apparently no plans to send troops to the crisis-ridden country for the time being. ECOWAS wants to advise on how to proceed on Thursday, as its spokesman Amos Lungu confirmed to the dpa news agency. The heads of state and government of the member states are to meet in Nigeria’s capital Abuja. The ultimatum expired on Sunday.
At a three-day meeting last week, ECOWAS military chiefs outlined a plan for possible military intervention in response to the coup in Niger. That’s why the junta in Niger closed the country’s airspace. A statement by the junta’s spokesman on national television said any attempt to violate airspace would be met immediately and vigorously.
According to media reports, the junta had previously been celebrated by thousands of people in the stadium in the capital Niamey.
Italy and Germany want a peaceful solution
The Federal Foreign Office in Berlin is hoping to have President Mohamed Bazoum reinstated through diplomatic channels. Italy’s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani made a similar statement. “I hope that we can restore democracy and the constitution without blood and in peace,” French Secretary of State for Europe Laurence Boone told LCI TV.
Niger important for the withdrawal of the Bundeswehr from Mali
Concrete steps how the federal government intends to deal with the situation in Niger have not yet been mentioned. However, a spokesman raised the option of national or international sanctions. International criminal prosecution is also conceivable. For the German government, Niger should play a key role in future Sahel policy and in the withdrawal of the German armed forces from Mali. The Bundeswehr currently sees no acute threat to the approximately 100-strong German contingent at the Niamey site.
France suspended its development and budget support for Niger a few days after the coup. France also stopped aid to Burkina Faso when Burkina Faso – like Mali – announced that it would regard military intervention against the military rulers in Niger as a “declaration of war”.
ECOWAS imposed an economic blockade on Niger a week ago. The EU supports the sanctions. According to the Federal Foreign Office, the punitive measures have already had “painful effects”. The power supply, which Niger gets from Nigeria, is cut off. There are also problems with cash transactions.
A military intervention in the region is highly controversial. Algeria’s President Abdelmadjid Tebboune warned at the weekend that military intervention in Niger could destabilize the entire Sahel region, according to the newspaper “El-Bilad” and the news site Ennahar. Tebboune therefore strictly ruled out Algeria’s participation in a military intervention. Algeria – Niger’s northern neighbor – is not a member of ECOWAS and is not bound by the ultimatum of the group of states.
Niger’s southern neighbor, the economic and military heavyweight Nigeria, seems to be pushing for decisive action against the putschists under President Bola Tinubu.