Niger: "If you ignore ECOWAS, other Countries will respond I am the one holding back ECOWAS" -BAT

President Bola Tinubu of Nigeria claims that he is preventing ECOWAS and other unnamed forces from invading Niger in order to restore the country’s constitutional order. At a meeting with Nigerian Islamic clerics who are serving as mediators with the Niger junta on Thursday, Mr. Tinubu, who is also the chairperson of the ECOWAS heads of state and government, made this statement.

According to Tinubu, “I am in charge of a really grave issue. If you ignore ECOWAS, other people—those whose actions are beyond our control—will respond. I’m the one who’s suppressing those sides. I am the one holding back ECOWAS.”

However, the Nigerian president advised his visitors to speed up their negotiations with the Niger junta since he could not continue to postpone such a military action.

Despite the fact that Mr. Tinubu omitted to mention who the “other people” were, it is possible that he was alluding to France, whose troops are present in Niger and have refused to acknowledge the junta’s rule.

ECOWAS leaders disregarded Mr. Tinubu’s appeal and authorized a military intervention in Niger as well as the deployment of an ECOWAS standby force to the nation to guarantee President Mohamed Bazoum’s return to office in the event that negotiations fail.

 Source: Premium Times

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