US institute to ECOWAS: Ensure mercenaries don’t use Niger crisis to take over region

The United States Institute of Peace (USIP) has advised the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to use its political muscles to ensure that mercenaries do not use the political crisis in the Niger Republic to take over the region. 

 In July, a military junta in the West African country ousted President Mohamed Bazoum.

In response to the coup, ECOWAS resolved to use all measures necessary to restore constitutional order in the country, including the use of force, if its demands are not met in a week.

The organisation had given Niger a week from Sunday to reinstate ousted President Bazoum or face harder sanctions – but the military junta have refused to yield. 

On Friday, President Bola Tinubu, ECOWAS chairman,  notified the national assembly about the deployment of military intervention in the Niger Republic.

Chris Kwaja, the USIP  country manager, said in a statement, that security contractors would see the region as fragile and take advantage of its natural resources if prompt actions are not taken.

He added that ECOWAS must be proactive and ensure that the activities of security mercenaries are curtailed in the region.

“We’ve seen the communique issued by ECOWAS a few days ago to the coupists in Niger, telling them to return the president and have given an ultimatum,” he said.

“So we are waiting to see what ECOWAS will do at the end of the ultimatum and I think if ECOWAS is able to garner the political muscles to bite hard at this time, it will be sending a very strong signal to whoever is outside the country that is supporting and masterminding what we are seeing.

“They are very active in the regions where there are natural resources and would continue to perpetuate conflicts and instability to justify why they should continue their activities wherever they are.

“The ECOWAS communique that was released drew attention to the fact that the region does not welcome private military and security contractors. But unfortunately, we don’t have a regional framework for dealing with that and that is a major gap.

“The international communities will be celebrating 50 years of the enactment of the international committee on mercenaries towards the end of the year and Africa has been the theatre of mercenaries activities.”

However, there have been calls to the ECOWAS against the use of military intervention in the West African country.

A forum of Nigerian northern senators cautioned that deploying a military intervention in Niger may have negative consequences for Nigeria and the region.

Suleiman Kawu, the spokesperson of the forum, warned that deploying Nigerian troops to the Niger Republic will hurt seven northern states —Sokoto, Kebbi, Katsina, Zamfara, Jigawa, Yobe and Borno —sharing borders with the country.

“We also take exception to the use of the military force until other avenues as mentioned above are exhausted as the consequences will be casualties among the innocent citizens who go about their daily business,” Kawu said.

“Besides, about seven northern states who share a border with the Niger Republic namely Sokoto, Kebbi, Katsina, Zamfara, Jigawa, Yobe and Borno will be negatively affected.

“We are also aware of the situation of Mali, Burkina Faso and Libya, which may affect the seven northern states if military force is used.”