Diplomacy rather than military intervention? While the chiefs of staff of the West African armies met Thursday and Friday in Ghana to draw the outlines of a possible armed intervention, mentioned for several days by the Economic Community of West African States ( ECOWAS) without really deciding, those close to power and President Bazoum continue to call forcefully for a return to constitutional order, whatever the cost. A leading member of the political bureau of the PNDS, the ruling party, Amadou Ange Chékaraou Barou confided in Point Afrique.
Le Point Afrique: How is President Bazoum doing?
Amadou Ange Chékaraou Barou: according to the latest news, President Bazoum is resisting, he was finally able to talk to his personal doctor. However, the conditions in which he is held captive, with his wife and son, are very difficult, and we are all concerned about the health of the latter, who is only in his twenties.
And morally, how does he hold up?
President Bazoum is strong psychologically. He gets this mental strength from his long years of activism. He has devoted more than thirty years of his life and career to fighting military regimes and for democracy in Niger. He is therefore not about to give in to pressure from the putschists. He will hold out until the end so that the country does not turn back. His resignation is therefore not at all on the agenda.
Is ECOWAS doing enough to restore constitutional order?
ECOWAS with the support of other African countries and the international community must intervene to defeat this coup which has no justification and which is very dangerous for the future of democracy in the world.
The risk of a domino effect is real in West Africa, because there are many apprentice putschists in the sub-region, and no country will be spared, I think, in particular, in Benin, Ghana, Togo or the Ivory Coast. This coup must be the last in Niger and in Africa. The credibility of ECOWAS with the populations is at stake.
We are confident in the will of ECOWAS to put an end to the seizure of power by arms. The only way that must prevail is that of the ballot box despite the shortcomings of this system. It will improve and future generations will perfect this system which is the only one capable of ensuring equal access to rights and freedoms for all.
What position should the international community take?
For its part, the international community must understand that these coups d’état must be put to an end because they offer the putschists who seize power opportunities to undermine the values of democracy. These putsches also allow criminal groups like Wagner to settle and sow death in Africa. We must therefore act now, by restoring President Bazoum, who was democratically elected to office, because in ten or fifteen years the damage will be done, and it will be too late for entire generations of Africa and the West, act, because Wagner’s actions will have major implications for international security.
France and the United States are Niger’s main historical partners, what do you expect?
The support of all Niger’s partners is strategic. I think that to save our democracies we need countries and armies that are also democracies, even if this system has its flaws. Concretely, it is a fight that we lead in the interest of all, whether it is France or the United States.
The soldiers who took power on July 26 point to the security situation in the country, which would have deteriorated, what is your observation?
Niger was an island of stability and peace within the Sahel. We welcome hundreds of thousands of refugees from Mali, Burkina and Nigeria, who have fled because they know the situation here is better than at home.
What makes Niger unique is that we have a holistic approach which consists of providing a military response on the ground but also an economic and social one, through an ongoing dialogue with the communities from which certain jihadist groups originate. Progress has been made in recent years. We also conducted a policy of integrating certain repentant jihadists into the national forces of Niger, it was going very well.
The security motive is not justified, especially since it is many Nigerien army generals who have defined and implemented our entire military strategy in the fight against jihadism. They were in charge or in any case at the heart of the decisions, in particular with our partners, including France and the United States.
How do you explain the fact that no one saw this putsch coming?
No one saw this coup d’etat coming, because it has no political basis, it was not prepared, all the experts or specialists will tell you, it’s a coup d’etat which was done on a whim, for personal reasons and it can only fail. We are certain that this coup has no future.
The putschists did not imagine that ECOWAS could take such strong sanctions, so quickly, and above all that it would carry out its threat of a military intervention which is about to become a reality.
How to understand the support of an entire army for a few generals…
Attention, it is not the army which overthrew president Bazoum, only, certain generals did not assume or take their responsibilities at the time of the facts and we leave them masters of their choices.
I still want to emphasize the fact that the leader of the putschists [Abdourahamane Tiani] was never on the terrorist front, he was always in the palace, where he foiled coups during these regimes. But he does not know the war against terrorism, I do not believe that the soldier who is currently at the front in Tillaberi recognizes himself in this general.
Minister Rhissa Ag-Boula launched the Resistance Council for the Republic on August 8, are other means on the agenda?
Minister Ag Boula is a member of President Bazoum’s government, which is recognized by the international community and who works to restore order, legality and law through a resistance movement.
Beyond this resistance from the circle close to the head of state, what are Nigeriens telling you, what are their expectations? So far, the mobilization seems weak on the side of the president’s supporters?
The images that circulate the most are those of pro-coup demonstrators, some with Russian flags in hand, but they are in fact few in number and for the most part they have been paid by some supporters of the junta for propaganda. It’s the Wagner system at full throttle.
This is not representative of the majority of Nigeriens. Nigeriens want a return to order and do not want a step back for their country. They don’t want this coup, that’s what they tell us and they will do everything to resist.
Do you hear the voices raised against the bad governance, the corruption, or the injustice that persists in Niger, with cases that do not come to fruition?
This is not true, I can tell you that since President Bazoum came to power, several cases have been brought to justice. Several personalities, tax agents, ministers, are currently in prison.
I believe that it was because President Bazoum started to bring order that certain groups united against him, because they saw that he was not going to back down.
Despite our meager internal resources, we have reduced corruption in the country, we respect our obligations to international institutions, particularly financial ones. Niger is a very good student of the IMF and the World Bank, Niger’s accounts are sound.
Compared to the general discontent, Niamey and Zinder crystallize the tensions, because, they are two cities which have always been divisive compared to the regime in place, because acquired with the opposition. But it is quickly forgotten that Niger is very vast, with an area of 1.2 million km and 25 million inhabitants. However, President Bazoum collected up to 2 million votes out of the 3.5 million voters, which is not nothing. He was well elected, on the other hand there are very large cities including the capital which have escaped us, we are aware of this, and have played the game of democracy.
The tensions that existed before, during and after the elections have calmed down, because the president carried out a very long process of dialogue with all the political forces that took part. The noose has largely loosened on freedom of expression, President Bazoum is a democrat, and the people of Niger have begun to know him better and, above all, the opponents have begun to work with him because they have understood that he is a humanist, a justice-loving democrat, unfortunately, this did not please certain groups of people who in reality want to earn more and more in contempt of Nigeriens.