On Friday, a multitude of supporters of the Niger coup flooded the streets in protest of the intentions of West African nations to dispatch a military unit to the nation, as a significant regional meeting discussing potential intervention was called off.
According to Punch, ECOWAS had approved a “standby force” to reinstate the legitimately elected President Mohamed Bazoum, with the foremost EU diplomat voicing apprehensions about his well-being during detention after his removal by his guard members on July 26.
Originally, high-ranking military officials from member states of the West African coalition were scheduled to convene in Ghana’s capital city, Accra, on Saturday. Nevertheless, these plans were later disclosed as being indefinitely halted due to “technical grounds.”
Insiders indicated that the original purpose of this assembly was to brief the group’s leaders regarding optimal strategies to activate and deploy the standby force. However, ECOWAS has yet to disclose particulars concerning the force or a timetable for action, with the leaders underscoring their persistent preference for a peaceful resolution.
This abrupt annulment occurred concurrently with the presence of thousands of coup supporters who congregated near a French military installation in Niger on Friday. Protesters at the compound, situated close to the capital, Niamey, chanted slogans such as “Down with France, down with ECOWAS.”
The recently inaugurated leaders of Niger have accused France, their former colonial ruler and a close associate of Bazoum, of underpinning the stern stance that ECOWAS has taken against the coup. A lot of protestors waved Russian and Niger flags while vocally endorsing the nation’s new strongman, General Abdourahamane Tiani.
One of the demonstrators, Aziz Rabeh Ali, an active member of a students’ union, proclaimed, “We are determined to compel the French to leave! ECOWAS lacks independence; it is being manipulated by France.”
France maintains around 1,500 soldiers stationed in Niger, contributing to the ongoing battle against an eight-year-long jihadist uprising. The nation is met with escalating antagonism across the Sahel region.
Last year, France withdrew its anti-jihadist troops from neighboring Mali and Burkina Faso following disagreements with military regimes that had displaced elected leaders.
Last week, Niger’s new leadership nullified defense agreements with France. Furthermore, a hostile demonstration outside the French embassy in Niamey on July 30 prompted Paris to evacuate its citizens from the location.
NigeriaNow (
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