The main regional bloc in West Africa said on Friday that it had agreed on an undisclosed “D-Day” for a possible military intervention to restore democracy in Niger if diplomatic efforts fail, emphasising that it would not engage in endless dialogue with the defiant junta.
The remarks came at the conclusion of a two-day meeting of West African army chiefs in Ghana’s capital, Accra, where they discussed logistics and strategy for a possible use of force in Niger. According to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), such action would be a last resort.
During the closing ceremony, ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace, and Security Abdel-Fatau Musah stated, “We are ready to go whenever the order is given.” “The D-Day has also been decided, which we will not reveal.”
He stated that a peaceful resolution was still the bloc’s preferred option.
“As we speak, we are still preparing to send (a) mediation mission into the country, so we have not closed any doors… (but) we will not engage in an endless dialogue.”
The junta did not respond immediately.
Military officers deposed Nigerien President Mohamed Bazoum on July 26 and have defied calls from the UN, ECOWAS, and others to reinstate him, prompting the bloc to call for the formation of a standby force.
“We’ve already agreed and fine-tuned what will be required for the intervention,” Musah said, declining to reveal the number of troops who would be deployed or other strategic details.
According to the bloc, most of its 15 member states are willing to contribute to the joint force, with the exception of those under military rule (Mali, Burkina Faso, Guinea, and Cape Verde).
ECOWAS has taken a tougher stance on the coup in Niger, the region’s seventh in three years, than it has on previous ones. The bloc’s credibility is at stake because it has stated that it will not tolerate any more such overthrows.
“The decision has been made that the coup in Niger is one coup too many for the region, and we are putting a stop to it at this time, we are drawing a line in the sand,” Musah said.
Any intervention would add to the turmoil in West Africa‘s impoverished Sahel region, which is already dealing with a decade-long Islamist insurgency and a worsening hunger crisis.
Niger’s strategic importance extends beyond West Africa due to its uranium and oil reserves, as well as its role as a hub for foreign troops fighting insurgents linked to al Qaeda and the Islamic State.
Diplomatic efforts continue in the meantime. On Friday, Leonardo Santos Simao, the UN Special Envoy for West Africa and the Sahel, met with junta Prime Minister Ali Mahamane Lamine Zeine.
Simao stated on Niger’s state television that he wanted to hear the junta’s point of view in order “to study together a way for the country to return as quickly as possible to constitutional normalcy and legality.” We are convinced that dialogue makes everything possible.”
