Niger Coup: ECOWAS to restore constitutional rule

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has said it will restore constitutional rule in Niger at all costs.

The bloc’s commissioner for political, peace and security, Ambassador Abdel Fatau Musa, made the announcement on Wednesday at the opening of a day meeting of Chiefs of Defense Staff of ECOWAS member states in Accra, Ghana.

Musa said the reasons given by the coup leaders in Niger for overthrowing the government were not justified. He added that the bloc would not tolerate any further unconstitutional changes of government in the region.

The meeting in Accra is aimed at finalizing a strategy on how to intervene in Niger to take out the military junta in the country.

ECOWAS has a history of intervening in member states that have experienced coups. In 2020, the bloc sent troops to Guinea to restore constitutional rule after a military coup.

The bloc has also imposed sanctions on coup leaders in Mali and Guinea-Bissau.

The coup in Niger is the latest in a series of military takeovers in West Africa. In recent years, there have been coups in Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso, and Guinea-Bissau.

The coups have raised concerns about the stability of the region and the ability of ECOWAS to prevent them.

In his speech, Musa said ECOWAS was determined to put an end to the increasing spate of coups in West Africa. He said the bloc would work with member states to strengthen their institutions and prevent future coups.

The meeting in Accra is expected to produce a roadmap for restoring constitutional rule in Niger. The bloc is also expected to discuss how to strengthen its mechanisms for preventing coups in the future.