Political advisor to the detained President of Niger, Mohamed Bazoum, warns the Economic Community of West African States “ECOWAS” against military intervention in Niger.
Counselor Bazoum: I think that ECOWAS will not make this mistake by intervening militarily in Niger
The political advisor to the ousted President of Niger, Mohamed Bazoum, Antinekar Al-Hassan, warned that the military intervention of the Economic Community of West African States “ECOWAS” in Niger would mean that the whole of Africa would be in a state of war.
Al-Hassan said in statements to “Sputnik” agency, in response to a question about whether he believes that “ECOWAS” is really ready to intervene militarily in Niger: “I think that ECOWAS will not make this mistake by military intervention in Niger.”
In turn, a source in the Nigerian government said that the military council in Niger met with two envoys of the Nigerian president and the head of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Paula Tinubu in Niger’s capital, Niamey, today, Wednesday.
France rejects the accusations of Niger
Today, Wednesday, the French Foreign Ministry rejected the accusations leveled by the military council in Niger, and added in a statement that the French forces had not released terrorists.
The military council stated that the French army attacked a position of the armed forces to “liberate its terrorist allies,” explaining that the French army attacked a position of the National Guard in the Liptako Gorm area and freed 16 imprisoned terrorists.
The military council in Niger, the former colonial power, accused France of violating the closed airspace since Sunday, in light of Western African countries threatening to intervene militarily in Niamey, in response to the dismissal of President Mohamed Bazoum.
The leaders of the military council accused France of wanting to intervene militarily, in order to restore the isolated and loyal President Bazoum to power, announcing the cancellation of a number of military cooperation agreements with Paris, in addition to ending the missions of the country’s ambassadors to France, the United States, Nigeria and Togo.
European sanctions on Niger
European sources told Reuters today, Wednesday, that the European Union countries have begun preparing to impose the first sanctions on members of the military council in Niger who seized power last month.
An EU official involved in preparing the sanctions and a diplomat from the bloc said the EU had begun discussing a list of justifications for imposing sanctions. The official added that among these justifications is “undermining democracy” in Niger, and that it is likely to be agreed upon soon.
“The next step could be imposing sanctions on individuals from the military council” deemed responsible, the diplomat added.
The official and another EU diplomat said officials from the bloc were discussing the matter on Wednesday. The three sources spoke on condition of anonymity.
All 27 EU member states must agree before sanctions can be imposed, and it is not yet clear when the sanctions will be agreed.
Leaders of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) are scheduled to meet tomorrow, Thursday, after the deadline for returning Bazoum to power has passed.
“The European Union stands ready to support ECOWAS decisions, including sanctions,” said Peter Stano, European Commission foreign policy spokesman.
The bloc’s foreign ministers are expected to meet in Toledo, Spain, on August 31 to discuss the situation in Niger, including sanctions.
The situation in Niger raises concerns about the future of the country and the region, at a time when it faces increasing security challenges due to the threat of armed groups growing in the Sahel region. It also raises concern in the West, especially France and the United States of America, because the ousted president is considered Paris’s first man in the African Sahel countries.
Also read: “Foreign Policy”: Military intervention in Niger is doomed to failure
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2023-08-09 19:24:38