Amid escalating tensions following the ousting of President Mohamed Bazoum, the military regime in Niger Republic has reportedly challenged the resolve of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to deploy troops to confront the regime and reinstate the ousted leader. The defiance was underscored by a reported threat to assassinate President Bazoum as ECOWAS prepares to send troops into the country.
The Associated Press (AP) cited “Western officials” who disclosed that the military junta conveyed the threat to a senior U.S. diplomat, Victoria Nuland, during her recent visit to Niger. A Western military official, speaking anonymously due to the sensitivity of the situation, reportedly revealed that representatives of the junta had informed Nuland about the threat against Bazoum.
In response to the crisis, leaders from nine out of the 15 ECOWAS member states convened at an extraordinary summit in Abuja on Thursday. During the summit, President of the ECOWAS Commission, Omar Alieu Touray, reiterated the decision by military authorities in the region to deploy a standby force. He emphasized that the community’s collective instruments and agreements were being activated to address the situation.
President Touray further highlighted that the issue at hand transcends a dispute between individual countries, emphasizing the shared commitments subscribed to by all ECOWAS members. While financing and other necessary measures were discussed, the resolve to deploy a standby force was reaffirmed.
As the situation unfolds, the Niger military’s challenge to ECOWAS’ intervention casts a shadow over efforts to restore stability and uphold democratic norms in the region.