NIAMEY, Niger (AP) — West African nations’ defense chiefs on Friday finalized an intervention plan and urged the military to prepare resources after negotiations stalled with Military Junta of Nigerwhich says it is breaking military agreements with France, its former colonial ruler.
Two days before the deadline set by the regional bloc to release and reinstate President Mohamed Bazoum or cope with possible force, the junta announced it would fire some of the previous government’s key ambassadors and warn the citizens of the West African nation to be on the lookout for foreign armies and spies. In a plea published in a Washington Post opinion piece, Bazoum said, “I am writing this as a hostage” and urged the United States and its partners to help.
The junta’s announcement Thursday night deepens the post-coup isolation for what had become of the United States and its allies. last great security partner in the Sahel, the vast region south of the Sahara desert that Islamic extremist groups have turned into the global center of terrorism.
The Nigerien soldiers, who staged a mutiny on July 26, face a Sunday deadline set by the regional bloc known as ECOWAS, whose envoys arrived Thursday for talks. But those talks stalled as the delegation was unable to meet coup leader Gen. Abdourahmane Tchiani or go to the capital Niamey, according to a person with close knowledge of the talks who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment.
However, the defense chiefs of the ECOWAS countries, except for Mali, Burkina Faso, Chad, Guinea and Niger, met on Friday in Abuja, Nigeria, and concluded several measures, including a military intervention described as recommendations to the regional leaders.
“All the elements that would go into any eventual intervention have been laid out here and refined, including the timing, the resources needed, and how, where and when we are going to deploy that force,” said Abdel-Fatau Musah, ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security.
Musah did not say whether ECOWAS would deploy such a force by the end of the one-week deadline given to the junta, but added that the junta should reinstate Bazoum as president in the next few days or “we will hand them over to the civil authorities. ”
The Nigerian Defense Chief of Staff called on regional military chiefs to follow “a sense of urgency” and allocate the necessary resources as agreed.
“ECOWAS will not be used for coups. Democracy is what we stand for and democracy is what we will uphold,” said Christopher Musa, Nigeria’s defense chief. He called for action to also address security failures in West Africa, saying the latest riot highlights “the fragility of our region.”
The board’s announcement brought further skepticism about any deal. He said he was finalizing the military agreements and protocols signed with France and announced the end of the functions of Niger’s ambassadors to France, the United States, Togo and neighboring Nigeria, who are leading ECOWAS dialogue efforts.
“Any aggression or attempted aggression against the state of Niger will have an immediate response and without prior notice,” said a spokesman for the coup leaders, Colonel Major Amadou Abdramane, with the exception of Mali, Burkina Faso and Guinea, which have expressed their support for the coup Mali and Burkina Faso have said that such an intervention would be a declaration of war against them.
The French Foreign Ministry responded that Paris only recognizes “the legitimate authorities of Niger”, dismissing the move by the coup leaders. France reiterated its call for the “re-establishment of Niger’s democratic institutions,” the ministry said.
The United States said late Friday it would suspend some aid programs that benefit the Nigerien government, following through on threats to withdraw financial support unless the mutinying forces reverse their takeover.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken did not provide details, but stressed in a statement that Washington would continue to provide life-saving food and humanitarian aid.
The Biden administration, which has given impoverished Niger hundreds of millions of dollars in civil and security assistance, halted its security partnerships with the country before the coup.
Bazoum wrote that Niger’s security situation had improved before the coup, in contrast to neighboring Mali and Burkina Faso which are run by military juntas, but said it is now at risk because Niger would lose aid from foreign partners and extremist groups would take advantage of the country’s instability.
“In our time of need, I call on the United States government and the entire international community to help us restore our constitutional order,” he wrote.
France has 1,500 military personnel in Niger, which had been planned as the base for anti-terror operations in the region after anti-French sentiments grew elsewhere.
The United States has 1,100 military personnel in Niger, including at a key drone base, and indicates it is reluctant to leave, especially with the growing influence of the Russian private military group Wagner in the Sahel.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters he was concerned about emerging regional tensions, but “interference by non-regional powers is unlikely to change the situation for the better.”
ECOWAS has failed to stop the blows and is trying to turn the tide with Niger in a region that has seen five of them in the last three years, two in Mali and Burkina Faso.
Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, following a legal requirement, informed lawmakers on Friday of ECOWAS’s intention to intervene militarily in Niger if the coup leaders “remain recalcitrant.”
But there are risks that any intervention could cause Bazoum’s death, said James Barnett, a West Africa researcher at the Hudson Institute.
“He would have to undergo a very surgical salvage operation to make sure that doesn’t happen,” he said.
Another concern is that the junta could arm civilian militias to resist any intervention.
“I’m afraid the junta would gladly use its own people as cannon fodder or human shields, and the ECOWAS military doesn’t have a good track record when it comes to avoiding collateral damage,” Barnett said.
Many people in Niamey did not seem concerned about ECOWAS’ use of force, while others wondered why the regional bloc has not been as resolute in addressing extremist violence.
“If ECOWAS has an army, it could mobilize 1,000 soldiers per country… 15,000 soldiers. If ECOWAS was serious, why didn’t it consider mobilizing 15,000 troops to help Mali, Burkina and Niger, who are going through insecurity? said Annassa Djibrilla, president of the activist group Dynamic Citizen.
Niger’s 25 million or so people live in one of the world’s poorest countries, and any cut in foreign aid could be disastrous. Citizens are already feeling the effects after ECOWAS suspended all commercial and financial transactions between its member states and Niger and froze Niger’s assets in regional central banks.
The bloc’s sanctions include halting energy transactions with Niger, which sources up to 90% of its power from Nigeria, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency. Earlier this week, power transmission from Nigeria to Niger was cut off, said an official with one of Nigeria’s major power companies, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to comment.
The Popular Coalition for the Sahel, an informal alliance of several dozen civil society organizations from the Sahel and West Africa, expressed concern about the military takeover and called for the protection of civilian populations to be a priority for all parties. .
“Niger’s civil and political liberties must be preserved and safeguarded, including the protection of the rights of civil society organizations and human rights defenders to continue their activities freely and safely,” the group said in a statement. release.
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Asadu reported from Abuja, Nigeria; AP journalists Elaine Ganley in Paris; Carley Petesch in Chicago and James Heintz contributed.