The chiefs of staff of the West African armies are to meet in Ghana on Thursday to discuss the modalities of a possible armed intervention in Niger, where at least 17 soldiers were killed on Tuesday in an attack by suspected jihadists.
A crucial West African military meeting is to be held until Friday in Accra, Ghana, where details of the planned military intervention will be discussed to reinstate President Mohamed Bazoum, ousted by the coup d’etat. July 26.
If the option of an armed operation remains on the table, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) still seems to favor the path of dialogue and diplomacy with the military regime in power in Niamey.
The meeting comes two days after at least 17 Nigerien soldiers were killed and 20 others injured in an attack by suspected jihadists in southwestern Niger near the Burkina Faso border.
In a press release released on Tuesday, ECOWAS had mentioned “various attacks perpetrated by armed groups” having “caused the death of several Nigerien soldiers”, without specifying the dates of these.
Condemning “strongly” these attacks, the organization called on the military regime in Niamey to “restore constitutional order” in the country to focus “on security” which has “been further weakened since the coup attempt. State”.
Niger has been confronted, for several years, with regular attacks by jihadist groups.
Tuesday’s attack is the deadliest since the military coup led by General Abdourahamane Tiani, at their head, which they justify by “the deterioration of the security situation”.
The World Food Program (WFP) warned on Wednesday that regional sanctions imposed by ECOWAS and border closures “are greatly affecting Niger’s supply of vital food and medical supplies”, “urging all parties to facilitate humanitarian exemptions”.
Calls for a peaceful resolution to this crisis have multiplied in recent days, including among certain Western partners such as the United States, which announced on Wednesday that a new ambassador, Kathleen FitzGibbon, would soon be settling in Niamey.
“This is not a sign of a change in US policy but of their continued involvement” to find a diplomatic solution, however, said a spokesman for the State Department.
The new Niger regime is also looking for allies in the region.
On Tuesday, the prime minister appointed by the military in Niamey, Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine, traveled to N’Djamena where he was received by the Chadian transitional president Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno.
For the first time, he said that his country was “in a process of transition”, without however specifying its duration before possible elections for a return to constitutional order.
Chad, a major military power in the Sahel region, announced last week that it would not participate in any military intervention alongside ECOWAS, to which it does not belong.
Neighboring Mali and Burkina, also ruled by soldiers who came to power in coups in 2020 and 2022, quickly showed their solidarity with the generals in Niamey.
The latter remain inflexible for the time being and have been holding deposed President Mohamed Bazoum prisoner since July 26, whom they intend to prosecute for “high treason”.
They believe that a military operation against their country would be an “illegal and senseless aggression” and have promised an “immediate response” to any aggression.
The Nigerien army has been mobilized for years in the fight against the jihadists, particularly in the immense region of Tillabéri, located in the so-called “three borders” zone between Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali, where the attack of Tuesday took place.
Before the coup, France, the former colonial power which has 1,500 soldiers in Niger, actively participated with the Nigerien army in the fight against these jihadist groups.
She has since become one of the favored targets of the new regime in Niamey, which accuses her of influencing the decisions of ECOWAS.
08/17/2023 05:08:14 – Accra (AFP) – © 2023 AFP
