Defence leaders said on Friday that a date had been set for ECOWAS to military intervene in Niger to restore constitutional government.
Also agreed is the D-day. Abdel-Fatau Musah, the ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, was reported by Aljazeera as stating, “We’ve already agreed and fine-tuned what will be required for the intervention.”
He didn’t say what day it was, but he did say that “we are ready to go any time the order is given.”
To discuss the deployment of a backup force to Niger as ordered by the heads of state, defense leaders met for two days in Accra, Ghana.
Last Thursday, the heads of state of the sub-regional bloc ordered the activation and deployment of a standby force in the event that the military junta in that country refused to give the incarcerated president Mohamed Bazoum his authority back.
If all diplomatic efforts fail, the group agrees to use military. The bloc is still putting together a team to mediate in Niger, Mr. Musah stated on Friday, “so we have not shut any door.”
The brave forces of West Africa, including both the military and civilian components, are prepared to respond to the call of duty, Mr. Musah was cited as saying by Aljazeera. “Let no one be in doubt that if everything else fails,” he said.
The majority of ECOWAS’s 15 member states, he claimed, are ready to contribute to the combined force, with the exception of Cape Verde, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Guinea.
To send troops to Niger, several member nations would require the consent of their parliaments. The number of soldiers that each nation will deploy is yet unknown.
Nigeria, which has the largest military in West Africa, is likely to supply the majority of the required personnel. Although the president has not yet made a particular request for the deployment of soldiers, the Nigerian parliament had previously rejected the deployment of troops to Niger. However, the Nigerian constitution permits the president to send out military even without legislative consent, which he may request after sending out the army.
Section 5(5) of the Nigerian constitution states that “the President, in consultation with the National Defence Council, may deploy members of the armed forces of the Federation on a limited combat duty outside Nigeria” if he is convinced that the nation’s security is under risk.
The Senate must then grant or deny the requested approval within 14 days following the president’s request, which must be made within seven days of the start of real conflict.
Many Nigerians have voiced opposition to military action, and others, notably the powerful Islamic council, NSCIA, have even denounced the sanctions that ECOWAS put on Niger in the wake of the coup.
On July 26, President Mohamed Bazoum of Niger was detained by presidential guards under the command of General Abdourahmane Tchiani, who also dissolved the constitution.
In response to the coup, ECOWAS called a special conference where it imposed severe economic penalties on Niger and gave the coup leaders a seven-day deadline to restore the deposed president.
The night before the second emergency conference called by the bloc, the putschists disobeyed ECOWAS and established a new administration.
A group of Islamic scholars from Nigeria met with the junta leaders last Saturday to negotiate, and as a result, the junta leader decided to hold talks with ECOWAS. Two earlier attempts by ECOWAS to meet with Mr. Tchiani, the junta head, had been unsuccessful.