2023-08-17 08:54:13
NIPAH DENNIS/AFP
The chiefs of staff of the West African armies are to meet in Ghana on Thursday August 17 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. .
Read also: In Niger, at least seventeen soldiers were killed in an attack near Burkina Faso
A crucial West African military meeting is to be held until Friday in the Ghanaian capital, Accra, where details of the planned military intervention will be discussed to reinstate President Mohamed Bazoum, ousted by the coup. Status of 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.
“Humanitarian Exemptions”
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 issued 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 “firmly” these attacks, the organization called on the military regime in Niamey to “restore constitutional order” in the country to concentrate “on safety” who happened “more weakened since the coup attempt”.
Read also: The suspension of Air France flights to the Sahel is extended
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 “greatly affected Niger’s supply of vital food and medical supplies”asking “urge all parties to facilitate humanitarian exemptions”.
“Continued American Involvement”
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 settle in Niamey. “This is not a sign of a change in US policy, but of its 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.
Read also: Article reserved for our subscribers In Nigeria, the population taken by the throat by the economic crisis opposes an intervention in Niger
For the first time, he said his country was “in a process of transition”without however specifying its duration before possible elections for a return to constitutional order.
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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 led by soldiers who came to power through coups in 2020 and 2022, quickly showed their solidarity with the generals in Niamey.
inflexible
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 a “unlawful and senseless aggression” and promised a “immediate response” to any attack.
Read also: Article reserved for our subscribers Niger: the African Union rejects any military intervention and dissociates itself from ECOWAS
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” between Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali, where Tuesday’s attack 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.
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