When ECOWAS decided to impose stringent sanctions on Niger following the coup that occurred in the country in July 2023, did the member countries who agreed to the decision ever think that these sanctions would lead to the death of thousands of Nigeriens? They probably didn’t or maybe they did but didn’t care because they felt that the sanctions which would lead to economic hardship would put pressure on the military government and force them to hand over power back to the deposed President Mohammed Bazoom. Unfortunately for ECOWAS that didn’t work and the military government in Niger has grown even stronger, garnering the support of Nigeriens. But that’s not even the point, the point is how can a regional bloc that is supposed to support its members take an action that did not only lead to economic hardship in a member country but also the death of thousands of its citizens? Where is the solidarity and African Unity? Honestly, this shouldn’t be surprising because as Ibrahim Traore stated in a recent interview, ECOWAS has deviated from the ideals of its founding fathers and is now a puppet for foreign countries.
The regional bloc is now made up of weak African Presidents led by a weak puppetry chairman, President Bola Tinubu, who only cares about taking actions to show that ECOWAS is not weak but what he doesn’t know is that ECOWAS actions under his leadership has exposed how puppetry and incompetent the regional bloc currently is. This is the reason why Captain Ibrahim Traore, has come out to issue a stern warning directly to Nigerian President, Bola Tinubu and reprimand him about how his actions have had terrible repercussions for the people of Niger. As revealed in a tweet by journalist Sy Marcus Herve, Captain Traore delivered scathing remarks at President Tinubu during an address to thousands of citizens’ vigil committee. Captain Traore stated that ECOWAS under the leadership of President Tinubu was responsible for the deaths of thousands of Nigériens as a result of the sanctions imposed on Niger. He explained that the loss of lives was due to insufficient electricity and medicine in hospitals. Recall that part of the sanctions imposed on Niger was shutting down electricity provided to the country from Nigeria and closure of the borders.
However, according to President Traore, the effects of the sanctions have not taken away the fighting spirit of the Nigérien people. The President then went on to highlight the strength of Niger’s military, emphasizing its history of combat and resilience and asserted that the Nigérien army is not merely for show or peacekeeping but is battle-hardened. In his own words ““Do you think there are weak men who are in Niger? There are fighters over there. The Nigérien army is warlike. They have been fighting for years. It’s not an army parade or a peacekeeping army”. President Traore further stated that the armies of the Alliance of the Sahel State are united and prepared to take on the ECOWAS forces that had been touted to be on standby. ““We are waiting for that standby force (ECOWAS). Thousands of Nigériens died in their hospital beds because of a lack of electricity or lack of medicine. It is a crime! They are responsible for these sanctions, they are responsible for these deaths”, Traore stated.
Still speaking on the issue, Traore criticized ECOWAS for its ineffective response to the suffering of the people, accusing them of neglecting international laws and violating agreements. He pointed out the adverse effects of sanctions, particularly on Mali and Niger, citing the manipulation of energy supply as a method to incite unrest. The passage said the closure of seaports to landlocked countries, which violates international laws. Despite this, there has been no response from the international community or ECOWAS. Traore further condemned the actions of African leaders, likening them to “useless and incompetent politicians” for their failure to prioritize the welfare of their citizens. He specifically called out the President of Ivory Coast, Allasane Ouattara for cutting off electricity to Mali in 2022, resulting in higher costs for Ivorian citizens. However, President Traore noted that ECOWAS’s retraction of electricity in Mali only served to make the people more invested in their new Junta government.
In his own words “They tried to make Mali suffer, and of course, by ignoring all the texts to no longer supply Mali with electricity, hoping that the population would revolt. It is not working. When it lasted, some were obliged to make their own people pay, by increasing the cost of electricity. It will increase again (meaning, we don’t need them, because we are developing solar panels for solar energy and very soon all the AES will have nuclear plants,”
Drawing a comparison to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, Traore criticized the lack of concern shown by African leaders for their people’s well-being. He held ECOWAS and its affiliates responsible for the sanctions and the consequent loss of lives in Niger. According to Ibrahim Traore, despite the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, Vladimir Putin did not cut their energy supply. However, in the case of President Tinubu, his actions regarding the situation showed that he did not care for the welfare of his people who have also been affected by the sanctions imposed on Niger, especially those Nigerians close to the Niger border. In a direct message to President Tinubu, President Traore concluded that “Their blood is on your hands”, referring to the thousands of Nigeriens who had died in the hospital.
Captain Traore’s speech highlights how irresponsible the actions of ECOWAS are and reveals the strength and resilience of the military government in Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso. So, instead of turning the people against the military junta, ECOWAS actions have only succeeded in turning Africans against them and garnering support for the military government. From his speech, it is now obvious why Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso had to withdraw from the bloc, because what is the point of remaining as members of the bloc when the actions of the bloc have had dire consequences?. And, now that Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger have decided to leave the ECOWAS, it’s now ECOWAS is talking about dialogue and lifting sanctions. Didn’t President Tinubu know that dialogue was an option when he threatened military intervention against Niger? It’s just obvious that he did all that to gain approval from the West and it just proves that ECOWAS is all bark and no bite. Honestly, the best thing that can happen to the bloc is for President Tinubu to be removed as Chairman because his actions since he became Chairman have dragged the bloc into the mud.
It is doubtful that Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso would go back to ECOWAS regardless of whatever decision that will be taken by the bloc because these three countries intend to focus on building the AES, a confederation formed by Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso, and aim to establish its governance free from Western influence, as evidenced by their plans to develop solar energy and nuclear plants to reduce dependency on ECOWAS-controlled resources. Following the announcement of their exit from the bloc, the military government of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso confirmed their plans to form a confederation. As stated by the the Malian government spokesperson, Abdoulaye Maiga “Our excellent diplomats then recommended to the Heads of State the creation of a Confederation bringing together Burkina, Mali and Niger, awaiting the creation of a Federation of the three countries,”. It was part of a speech the army colonel delivered at a meeting that ministers of the three states held in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
Mr Maiga in his speech reiterated the accusations against ECOWAS, stating that “From an organisation supposed to weld the social fabric between populations, it has become, by some leaders, an instrument that tried to pile populations against each other.” He also added that “From an organization called to support governments’ efforts to stabilize states, ECOWAS has found no other unfortunate inspiration than to threaten to militarily attack a sovereign state, whose people have simply decided to take their destiny in their hands”. Maiga further noted that “this current” ECOWAS is a perfect illustration of what the AES will never be, adding that it will remain an alliance of states united by a common ambition of the emancipation of Africa.
“This new era will see the alliance between our states strengthen further to assert itself as a force in the service of peace, security, development, and integration of our peoples for the good of our nations, he added.
Once the AES is fully established and functional, it’s certain that it will grow to become a threat to the ECOWAS bloc and other African countries would want to be a part of this alliance. Seriously, since the military junta of Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso came into the political scene, they have completely turned things around. They have proven that they are the kind of leaders Africa needs, strong leaders who are capable of making strong decisions that will benefit the whole country. With leaders like them in power, it shows that Africa is very much capable of self-governance. Africa is rising and leaders like Ibrahim Traore needs every African support.