Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Presidents are seen during the heads of states and government extraordinary session in Abuja on July 30, 2023, for a crisis summit on the coup in Niger. (AFP)
Metropolis Desk-
After the most recent coup in the jihadist-infested Sahel area alarmed the continent and the West on Sunday, African leaders warned the junta in Niger one week to abdicate or face the potential use of force and imposed financial sanctions on the putschists.
The military has been holding Mohamed Bazoum, the elected president of Niger and an ally of the West, since Wednesday in what is the third coup to topple a leader in the Sahel in as many years.
General Abdourahamane Tiani, the strong presidential guard’s leader, has taken control and declared himself the new leader, claiming that the coup was a reaction to “the degradation of the security situation” brought on by Islamist violence as well as corruption and financial difficulties.
Bazoum is one of the few elected presidents and pro-Western figures left in the Sahel, where Islamic insurgencies have also led to coups in Mali and Burkina Faso since 2020.
Following the coup, former colonial powers France and the European Union withdrew their financial and security assistance to Niger, while the United States issued a warning that its assistance would be at risk.
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) regional bloc demanded Bazoum’s reinstatement within a week at an emergency session held in Nigeria.
If not, the bloc threatened to use “all measures” to reestablish the rule of law.
In a statement, it warned that “such measures may include the use of force for this effect.”
We have run out of time to issue a warning… Bola Tinubu, the president of Nigeria and head of ECOWAS, declared that it was time to take action.
Washington praised “the strong leadership of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Heads of State and Government to defend constitutional order in Niger,” according to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who also joined calls for Bazoum’s immediate release and the reinstatement of the democratically elected government.
Blinken continued, “The United States will continue to aggressively engage with ECOWAS and West African leaders on the next steps to safeguard Niger’s hard-won democracy.
Source- Arab News
