The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) have pledged their readiness to deploy its standby force that could restore civil rule in Niger Republic if diplomatic efforts to reverse the political situation in the country failed.
All member states except those under military rule and Cape Verde pledged Thursday to participate in the standby force at a meeting in Accra, Ghana’s capital.
According to Reuters, ECOWAS commissioner, Abdel-Fatau Musah, was quoted to have said: “Let no one be in doubt if everything else fails, the valiant forces of West Africa…are ready to answer to the call of duty.
“By all means available, constitutional order will be restored in the country.” Musah further told assembled defence chiefs from member countries, listing past ECOWAS deployments in The Gambia, and Liberia as examples of its readiness.
Al Jazeera quoted Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Gwabin Musa, to have said, “Democracy is what we stand for and it’s what we encourage.
“The focus of our gathering is not simply to react to events, but to proactively chart a course that results in peace and promote stability.”
The Presidential Guards seized power from President Mohamed Bazoum on July 26, making the ECOWAS issue a one-week ultimatum to the military to restore the president or risk sanctions.
The military ignored the ECOWAS threats and vowed to resist foreign intervention.
The ECOWAS asked Defence Chiefs to activate its standby force.
Zakzaky cautions Nigeria, Niger
Sounding some words of caution, leader of the Islamic Movement on Nigeria (IMN) otherwise called Shi’ites, Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky, expressed deep concerns about the escalating military tensions between Nigeria and the Niger Republic.
Speaking from his residence in Abuja, Zakzaky addressed students from Hauza (Islamic Seminary) Thursday and warned of potential warfare instigated by foreign powers, particularly France and America.
He said such conflicts could lead to internal unrest within both African nations.
The renowned Islamic scholar highlighted historical colonial divisions between Niger and Nigeria and expressed fears about the presence of foreign military personnel at the borders.
The sheikh referenced the often used American phrase, ‘all options on the table,’ used by multiple U.S. presidents when discussing foreign policy, suggesting that it indicates a readiness to resort to armed conflict.
“What I am apprehensive about is the possibility of the outbreak of war since they have positioned soldiers at the borders, using a popular American quotation, ‘all options on the table’.
“It is important that people realise the farfetchedness of a war between the Niger Republic and Nigeria,” he stated.
Zakzaky questioned the rationale behind the potential conflict, asking why Nigeria should be concerned with issues of democracy in Niger.
He also pointed out that previous coups in both countries never led to foreign intervention, and questioned the logic of waging war in the name of democracy.
“When the coup was staged in Niger, nobody was killed. Not a single soul. But now, they’re planning to use military power to kill people and ‘retrieve Bazoum’.
“How many times has there been a coup in Niger, after which it has returned to civilian rule? What did Nigeria (ever) do about that? Did Nigeria go and facilitate it (return to civilian rule) for them?
“How many times has there been a coup here (in Nigeria)? Did anybody ever come and force us to revert to civilian rule? I have never heard such a thing. How could you just pick up arms, saying you have to wage war (on a country) in the name of ‘Democracy’?
“And it is clear that this is not our war; it is a war between nations of the West. Although Niger has closed its airspace, France’s aircrafts still pass through,” Zakzaky stated.
He also asserted that any attacks or cross-border conflicts should be attributed to Western countries, especially France and America, rather than Niger and Nigeria.
Zakzaky expressed the belief that these foreign powers were manipulating the situation to create discord and conflict, allowing them to exploit both nations’ resources.
Furthermore, the Sheikh warned of potential internal conflicts within Niger and Nigeria, suggesting that foreign powers could exploit ethnic and religious differences to incite discord, as, according to him, it occurred in Sudan and other countries.
Zakzaky added: “I’m sure their concern is not (for) Bazoum. What they’re concerned with is sowing discord and sparking conflict, so they can destroy Niger and Nigeria in order to loot their resources.
“Well, what I fear for us is the imminence of a purported ‘attack from Niger’. Likewise, if Niger is attacked, it wouldn’t be the work of Nigeria; but (that of) the West.
“Why? They want the wealth beneath our feet (our mineral resources), and that is what drew them (to us). But we hope that Allah will protect us.”
Zakzaky concluded his warnings by emphasizing the importance of unity and resistance to foreign manipulation, appealing to both Nigerians and Nigeriens to avoid falling into the trap of tribal or religious conflicts.
“I daresay, I am not only warning that the West could cause a rift between ‘Niger’ and ‘Nigeria’; they could also cause internal conflicts in each of the two. They could trigger a ‘tribal’ conflict within Niger, capitalising on Bazoum’s ethnicity, and pitting them against other ethnic groups, just like they did in Sudan, between the Dinka and the Nuer ethnicities.
“And in Nigeria too, they could create a scenario whereby a faction would claim ‘secession’, such that an internal conflict would be propagated.
“The internal conflict could be in the form of a North-South feud, or perhaps the secession of the South-Eastern region of the country,” the Shi’ite leader further stressed.
He urged a return to faith, suggesting that prayer and repentance could serve as a powerful weapon against these potential threats.
