The ECOWAS emergency summit yesterday started well. Chairman Bola Tinubu in his opening remarks called for a focus on the use of diplomatic channels and negotiations. As I was writing this column to commend the new approach, news broke out that ECOWAS, has ordered its standby force to restore constitutional order in Niger Republic. The President of ECOWAS, Omar Alieu Touray made the declaration while reading the resolutions of the meeting. He also called on the African Union, partner countries and institutions to support the resolution taken by the sub-regional body. ECOWAS said all efforts made to dialogue with Niger Republic military junta have been defiantly rejected by coup leaders as they condemn continuous detention of President Mohamed Bazoum and his family members. They then directed the committee of the Chiefs of Defence Staff to activate the ECOWAS stand-by force with all its elements immediately to restore constitutional order in the Republic of Niger. The path taken is that of escalation.
Browsing: Niger Republic
The Heads of State and Governments of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), held an Extraordinary Summit on the Sociopolitical Situation in the Republic of Niger.
The Summit of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), has ended with an order for the committee of the Chief of Defense Staff, to activate a standby force to restore constitutional order in Niger Republic.
Nigerian President, and Chairman of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has prioretised diplomacy and dialogue, including discussions with all parties involved, to restore constitutional governance in the Republic of Niger.
The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has said that Niger Republic presently owes Nigeria N4.22 billion ($5.48 million) for the provision of electricity.
Let me commence by welcoming you all to the Second (2nd) Extraordinary Summit on the Socio-Political Situation in the Republic of Niger, within the space of ten days. Your presence here, despite the short notice, demonstrates the unwavering dedication of our esteemed community to finding a lasting solution to the political situation in the Republic of Niger.
The Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) has advised President Bola Tinubu, and the Economic Community of West African Countries (ECOWAS) against using violence in Niger Republic, while opting for dialogue in the maintenance of peace and order in that country.
“I am being kept isolated and forced to eat dry rice”, Niger Republic President, Mohamed Bazoum, who had been ousted by the military junta, has said.
The 14th Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi has returned to Nigeria from his peace mission in Niger Republic, and is currently in a meeting with President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Roughly three years ago, I penned my thoughts on the impending coup culture in Africa in the pages of this Daily Trust column, dated August 23, 2020, with the title, ‘A Warning Shot from Bamako’. In those lines, I underlined the implications of the coup that had just unfolded in Mali, casting a discerning gaze towards the far-reaching consequences for democracies delicately woven across the continent. “Africa must prepare for the shockwave of the coup,” I wrote, and that it “transmits signals capable of disrupting the continent’s fragile democracy.”