Niger Coup: Ecowas Military Intervention Could Be Disastrous – Security Analyst

Security analyst Richard Kumadoe has kicked against an Ecowas military intervention in Niger after the overthrow of the elected government.

Ecowas has a standby force ready to restore constitutional order in Niger, but Mr Kumadoe wants the situation to be resolved through diplomacy due to potential consequences.

“Any other overflow in Niger will end up in Nigeria. Any negative thing that will happen in Nigeria will also have an effect on Ghana. The military junta will also be preparing massively to meet the Ecowas military,” he explained. “If we send men to face the junta in Niger, we will come home wounded”.

“We must be very careful with this intervention, but it will not be in the interest of Ecowas to apply force in Niger.” Mr Kumadoe said in an interview monitored by The Ghana Report on Joy News.

On Thursday, August 10, Ecowas decided to intervene in Niger’s coup d’état by ordering the “activation” and the “deployment” of a regional standby force to restore constitutional order in the country.

This new alternative by Ecowas follows the violation of the one-week ultimatum they gave Niger’s military junta to reinstate their President, Mohamed Bazoum.

Following the Ecowas announcement, Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara immediately announced that his country would provide between 850-1100 troops “as soon as possible” to supplement the standby force being deployed for the mission in Niger.

“They will start preparing, mobilizing and putting in place everything they need to deploy to Niger as soon as possible,” he noted.