At first, when the coup occurred in Niger, everybody thought it would be like the coup in Burkina Faso and Mali where after the initial condemnation of the coup by the International community and regional blocs, it would be eventually accepted and an agreement would be made between the regional bloc and the military government on when to restore constitutional power. But, imagine the shock when the leader of the regional bloc, President Bola Tinubu who had just been elected as the leader of ECOWAS, declared with all confidence that “Niger had one week to reinstate the deposed President, Bazoom into power or else there would be war. Imagine the absurdity that ECOWAS actually threatened to go to war with a country that is one of the poorest in the Sahel region and is already fighting two wars on terror on two separate fronts: Against Boko Haram in the southeast and against ISIS in the Tri-Border region.
It was just obvious that President Bola Tinubu was working under the puppet strings of France and the USA who were behind the idea of military intervention. It was also obvious that he wanted to show himself given that the Niger coup was his first assignment as the newly appointed head of ECOWAS. What a shame!
The military government of Niger however took its stand and refused to cower in the face of the threat of war even despite the severe sanctions placed on them by both ECOWAS and the international community. Fortunately, the people of Niger were staunchly behind the coup and gave their support to the military government and not only that, Mali and Burkina Faso declared their support for the Niger coup, stating that there would be war if ECOWAS dared to invade Niger militarily. The atmosphere in West Africa was filled with tension as everyone waited with bated breath for ECOWAS to invade Niger.
However, the deadline came and passed and nothing happened, the only thing ECOWAS did was have an emergency meeting. The outcome of the meeting, they said, was that they wanted to explore other options but military intervention was still very much on the table. And then they added that ECOWAS forces were on standby and were just waiting for the D-day, which they never specified, to invade Niger. Up till now, we are still waiting for the mysterious D-Day to come. So, why has ECOWAS not intervened in Niger?
Recently, in an exclusive interview the President of Sierra Leone, Julius Maada Bio, explained why ECOWAS has not launched its intervention in Post Coup Niger. The President stated that “Although the regional bloc has not ruled out the military option to resolve the situation in Niger, the conditions on the ground have changed significantly since the July coup, providing for a diplomatic solution and inclusive dialogue” The president recalled that following the coup, ECOWAS member states decided to devise a strategy of military intervention “to reinstate the constitutionally elected government” that would be used as a last resort. He noted that since then, Niger’s military authorities have begun to engage in communication with the international community, and so, the regional organisation is currently attempting to sustain this dialogue while refraining from intervening militarily.
n his own words “After that, a lot of dynamics have changed. The coup leaders are beginning to accept dialogue. What we’re encouraging now is to take this dialogue forward, because military intervention, as you know, is not necessarily the best way to deal with a situation like Niger,”
Speaking on the recent trend of military coups, particularly in West Africa, President Maada Bio said that some coups can be considered “good”. He gave an example of his own country which, like other West African nations, has experienced several military takeovers. Bio led a military coup that deposed Captain Valentine Strasser in January 1996. From January 16 until March 1996, he was Sierra Leone’s military head of state as part of the National Provisional Ruling Council, a military junta administration. After winning the 1996 presidential election, Bio, as the military leader, restored democratic rule in Sierra Leone by passing authority to Ahmad Tejan Kabbah of the Sierra Leone People’s Party.
Recalling the condition in the country at the time, he stated that it was a one-party state that “rejected all democratic principles.” For nearly 40 years, he added, every democratic attempt to reform the administration had failed because “there was mass corruption with impunity.” Furthermore, the government has waged a civil war at the “expense of people’s lives.” Against this backdrop, the people of Sierra Leone set out to improve the situation and establish a democratic state.
When asked whether the August 30 revolution in Gabon was a “good coup,” Bio could not give a specific answer, saying he was not in a position to judge. In Gabon, the military attempted a coup, denying freshly elected President Ali Bongo Ondimba a third term. Gabon’s newly appointed Prime Minister, Ndong Sima, told the media in early September that the country’s military authorities’ promise of a two-year transition phase before free elections is a “reasonable objective.” At the same time, Bio cited “bad governance” in some of the region’s countries as having the potential to incite violence, deepen poverty, and increase human misery. The president believes that such a government cannot be regarded as truly democratic. Furthermore, he emphasised that Western powers’ support for authoritarian regimes is a troubling trend that should not be neglected. “Democracy is the rule of the people, and therefore they should enjoy it,” the president stressed.
doubt that ECOWAS has lost its power and respect in the region with the way it handled the Although President Julius explained why ECOWAS has not intervened in Niger, there is no Niger coup. Some experts even believe that very soon the regional bloc will crumble given that it seems to have lost its purpose.
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