Niger Coup: A War ECOWAS Must Not Start

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is considering its options on the military coup in Niger following yesterday’s expiration of the deadline issued to the military to return power to ousted President Mohamed Bazoum. There are no signs that the military junta intends to listen to ECOWAS. Instead, pro-military rallies have been holding in the country, including a massive rally at the national stadium in Niamey yesterday.
News reports say the military junta in Niger has received support from neighbouring countries whose militaries equally staged successful coups recently. Mali and Burkina Faso have reportedly pledged troops to support Niger. Also, Russian mercenaries, the Wagner Group, are said to be active in the country and in support of the military junta. Meanwhile, local news reports in Nigeria say Bola Tinubu has written the National Assembly, seeking approval for military intervention in Niger.
Many Nigerians have advised Nigeria against military intervention in Niger. They have cautioned that the country cannot afford another military exertion when she is still embroiled in widespread insurgency nationwide. They also shudder at the possibility of the situation in Niger escalating into the north of Nigeria which shares an extensive, porous border with Niger. This, is particularly worrisome, given the opposing interests of western countries in Niger, a situation likely to reduce any military intervention to a mere proxy war with devastating consequences.
Some citizens have also queried ECOWAS’ double standards in its attempt to entrench democracy in West Africa. They have challenged ECOWAS Heads of Government to ensure good governance, true democracy, and the rule of law in their home countries before rushing out to enforce same in Niger. As the debate continues, it remains to be seen whether ECOWAS will reconsider the merits of its intentions in Niger.
While one must condemn all forms of unconstitutional change of government in Africa, one must be balanced enough to also include in the list politicians who subvert the people’s will through blatant rigging of elections and bastardization of institutions of government. Without first addressing the fundamental practices that make the people lose confidence in the supposed democratic transitions in Africa, ECOWAS lacks the credibility to start this war.
Also, ECOWAS has no capacity to prosecute this war. For instance, Nigeria which holds the chairmanship of ECOWAS and which is the largest member, is in a huge economic mess. Inflation and unrestrained looting of the public treasury through various outlets have inflicted desperate levels of hardship on the people. Poverty continues to gulp more than half of the population. The country herself has become cirrhotic, with the entire landmass littered with pockets of continuous unchallenged mass murder of the citizens. The military is obviously overstretched, unmotivated, and fatigued by the federal government’s lack of clear direction on how to tackle the insecurity.
Nigeria only needs to look herself in the mirror to realize that she is in very bad shape herself. Any attempt to start a war with Niger is ill-advised and will further strain Nigeria’s elasticity. While Nigerians at home are exercising guarded patience with the government, such extravagant undertakings may escalate the hardship at home, short-circuit the people’s patience, and provoke a people’s uprising that will further complicate the situation in West Africa. It is in nobody’s interest, therefore, for ECOWAS to start this war.
What is expected of ECOWAS at the moment is not the war-mongering that it is engaging in. It is not enough to merely take a stand against military coups. ECOWAS must commence genuine soul-searching. How many of the present Heads of Government of ECOWAS member-countries can proudly claim to have come to power without some kind of manipulation of the will of their people? Without the legitimacy that comes from practicing democracy and the rule of law in their home countries, why do they assume they have the legitimacy to demand same from Niger?
Quite frankly, ECOWAS has no point to prove in Niger. Rather, it is the people of Niger and the rest of West Africans who have a point to prove to ECOWAS. For many years, ECOWAS has constituted itself into a club of unpatriotic dictators whose overriding priority is self-preservation. The body has comfortably presided over scandalous bastardization of democratic institutions, hurriedly conferring legitimacy on same, despite obvious displeasure from the citizens. The message from Niger is clear – power belongs to the people and you cannot successfully snatch it at gunpoint forever.