New meeting Thursday of leaders of West African countries opposed to the coup in Niger. During this crucial summit in Abuja, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), through Nigeria, which holds the rotating presidency of the organization, promised “important decisions”.
The community spoke on Tuesday for the first time since the expiration Sunday evening of a seven-day ultimatum issued to the military to restore President Mohamed Bazoum to office. Ultimatum which yielded nothing: in particular, no military intervention was decided upon, contrary to what the neighboring states had brandished.
ECOWAS finally declared favoring the diplomatic route, but the idea of a restoration of Mohamed Bazoum by force is not entirely excluded. Because the attempts at negotiations come up against the visibly closed attitude of the putschists. Again on Tuesday, a joint delegation of ECOWAS, the African Union (AU) and the United Nations tried to go to Niamey. In vain. They found the door closed, the new masters of Niamey citing “security” reasons.
The only bright spot on the eve of the summit, a meeting Wednesday evening in Niamey between the new strongman of Niger, General Abdourahamane Tiani, and the ex-emir of the Nigerian state of Kano Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, a close friend of the President of Nigeria Bola Tinubu. “We came hoping that our visit will pave the way for real discussions between the leaders of Niger and those of Nigeria,” said the ex-emir, specifying however that he was not a Nigerian “government emissary”.
Meanwhile, the putschists took a first step towards establishing a transitional government with the appointment on Monday of a civilian prime minister, Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine.
The decisions of West African states on Thursday morning in Abuja are therefore eagerly awaited. Their position remains firm: flying to the Nigerian capital on Wednesday evening, the President of Guinea-Bissau Umaro Sissoco Embalo recalled that “the only president” recognized in Niger is President Bazoum. “Coups must be banned”, he added, believing that ECOWAS, of which his country and Niger are part, had been gambling its existence against the domino effect of putschs for three years, Mali, Guinea , Burkina Faso and now Niger.
The coup camp is also united: Mali and Burkina Faso have shown their solidarity with the soldiers of Niger, saying that an attack in Niger by ECOWAS would be taken as a “declaration of war” for them. On Tuesday, they sent joint letters to the UN and the AU (African Union) calling for their “responsibility” to prevent “any military intervention against Niger, the extent of the security and humanitarian consequences of which would be unpredictable”.
In its efforts to restore President Bazoum, ECOWAS can count on the support of Western powers, first and foremost the United States and France, which had made Niger a pivot of their anti-jihadist system in the Sahel. The United States positioned itself at the forefront of attempts at discussion. The number two of American diplomacy came to Niamey on Monday to meet the perpetrators of the coup, but only mentioned “difficult” discussions and was unable to meet either General Tiani or President Bazoum as a hostage.
France, as a former colonial power regularly vilified during demonstrations in West Africa, is keeping a low profile, but let it be known on Tuesday from diplomatic sources that it supported “the efforts of the countries of the region to restore the democracy” in Niger.
The UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, also expressed his concern, demanding the release of Mohamed Bazoum and denouncing “the deplorable conditions in which President Bazoum and his family would live”.