Niger coup: The Best Solution Is Diplomacy Not Military Intervention – Security Analyst

Security Analyst Colonel Festus Aboagye (Rtd) has advised the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the Niger junta to employ diplomacy to meet each other halfway.

Expressing disapproval of the military intervention proposal by ECOWAS to restore democracy in Niger, Col Aboagye said the best approach to reinstate the democratically elected but ousted president of Niger is dialogue.

He explained that ECOWAS’ intention to deploy military troops in Niger would worsen the case.

Col Aboagye emphasised that ECOWAS has protocols outlined in their book, which they used to restore peace when the issue of coup d’état comes up, but ECOWAS’ intention to deploy military troops to resolve the crises in Niger is not stated in the book.

“So the best course of approach currently is to use diplomacy, then after the dust has settled, sit down, bring your policy practitioners, your experts and politicians. Your diplomats together and then find a reason why there is a resurgence of coups and, similarly, why the civilian’s tendency towards third terms and constitutionally re-engineering is also on the increase.”

“There is a playbook for ECOWAS, the ECOWAS playbook is that when you have situations like Niger, which had applied previously in the instances of coups, first of all, you suspend, secondly you sanction, thirdly you engage constructively, and in the ECOWAS book, I’m asking anybody who wants to read to go and read the ECOWAS treaty, revise treaty 1993, intervention is not mentioned anywhere.”

However, the security analyst maintained that there is a provision that “in law, we call the omnibus clause which says that – and any other operation that from time to time, the mediation and the security council can or will mandate.”

He maintained that ECOWAS should not hide behind the clause and use military intervention to restore democracy in Niger.

“In all of these protocols, we talk about enforcement of sanctions; that is not what we are going to do in Niger. We talk about peace-building. So why are we going to use force, interventions?” he said.

Meanwhile, the ECOWAS has said that the proposed military deployment to restore democracy in Niger will be considered if all options fail.

ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, Abdel-Fatau Musah, said the intent is not to declare war on Niger.

Abdel-Fatau Musah acknowledged that the ECOWAS mission might undertake renewed talks in Niger to seek a peaceful resolution.

He said ECOWAS is ready to engage with the junta.