Following the coup in Niger Republic that has removed the elected political leadership in the West African country, the Chairman of ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, President Bola Tinubu will host a special meeting of the regional leaders on Sunday, July 30th in Abuja.
The Special Adviser to the President on Special Duties, Communications & Strategy, Dele Alake, made this known in a press statement issued on 28 July.
According to Alake, “President Tinubu as Chairman of ECOWAS, in a statement he personally signed on Wednesday, July 26, 2023, condemned the current political situation in the neighbouring country and promised that ECOWAS and the international community would do everything to defend democracy and ensure democratic governance continues to take firm root in the sub-region”.
US Vice President Kamala Harris and United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, in separate telephone calls Thursday evening with President Tinubu, affirmed the support of the US and UN for the position taken by ECOWAS and the Nigerian leader to restore constitutional order in Niger, according to the statement.
Further consultations to arbitrate among the parties involved and reinstate the democratically elected government of President Bazoum are anticipated even as Mass Protests in Niamey against the ousted government have seen angry protesters burn down the headquarters of the ruling party, PNDS-Taraya.
The headquarters of the PNDS-Taraya political party was attacked by protesters as party activists ran away when they saw the protesters approaching. Some people were injured in the fracas and a number of vehicles were burnt. Videos were also circulated of mobs attacking members of the PNDS-Taraya on the streets.
Supporters of the coup accuse the party of corruption and not doing enough to improve the security situation and end the long-running jihadist insurgency in the country. This public support for the coup has reopened debates between contending opinions about how to end the spate of coups in the region, one insisting on liaising with aggrieved parties to reassess and find lasting solutions to prevailing political disputes, and the other insisting on punitive sanctions against coup plotters.
The continued military interventions, in spite of reprimands by ECOWAS and governments across Africa, indicate that there are serious underlying issues that must be addressed beyond mere threats and condemnation, many observers insist.
Observers also suggest that the regional body must take seriously the new wave of opposition to former colonial power, France, sweeping through the Sahel and the growing public support for building stronger ties with Russia. The new wave of support for Russia may not be unconnected with growing perceptions that the country is recording greater successes against the Jihadist insurgency across the Sahel.
The growing humanitarian crisis in the Sahel has been a major reason given by the military for seizing power, and the reports from the region are not good. In January 2023, the head of the UN Office for West Africa and the Sahel warned that “armed conflicts have worsened human suffering and forced millions to flee. Roughly 2.7 million people have been displaced and 1.6 million children are malnourished”.
In the Francophone countries in West Africa, military intervention seems to have become a force of habit. The frequent military takeovers in these countries have also sparked a new debate about the relevance of maintaining powerful military brigades around presidential villas in the region. There have been calls for ECOWAS to urgently whittle-down & limit the powers of military presidential guards.
Some security experts have suggested that African leaders should rather replicate the only use of special units from intelligence agencies, as done by major global powers, and keep the military out of the presidential office.
Many observers believe that ‘demilitarising democracies’, by removing these elite military units from around the presidents, would help to eradicate military coups in West Africa.
