ECOWAS Stands Strong Against Niger Junta’s Three-Year Election Delay Pitch in West Africa

The military dictatorship in Niger wanted to hold elections within three years, but the biggest regional organization in West Africa, ECOWAS, rejected the idea, prolonging the political deadlock that, if no deal is reached after a coup in July, might lead to a military intervention.

The July 26 coup in Niger, which was the sixth in West and Central Africa in the previous three years, has been the subject of diplomatic negotiations between ECOWAS and other world powers.

But, after numerous attempts at communication were unsuccessful, the bloc—which has taken a harsher line on Niger than its junta-led neighbors—activated a regional force that military leaders have stated is prepared to go on the offensive if negotiations break down.

The junta escalated its threat on Friday, signaling a renewed desire to work together, one day before it finally agreed to meet with an ECOWAS team in the nation’s capital Niamey.

General Abdourahamane Tiani, the head of the junta, stated that the coup leaders were still willing to talk to each other in a televised speech to the nation on Saturday night.

He reiterated the protracted timelines offered by other coup leaders in the region, although he added that the junta will think about restoring democracy within three years.

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Immediate Restoration of Constitutional Order

Abdel-Fatau Musah, the commissioner of ECOWAS, stated to Reuters on Monday that the group’s stance remained unambiguous.

He urged the immediate restoration of constitutional order and the unconditional release of ousted Niger president Mohamed Bazoum.

He stated that whether or not ECOWAS would dispatch another mediation team to Niger would depend on the results of “ongoing informal discussions”

The legitimacy of the bloc has been compromised as a result of a recent spate of coups that have undermined democracy in the area and raised questions about the group’s power as junta leaders have clung to power. Because it demanded years of election strategy, other military leaders dissented.

This year, ECOWAS imposed sanctions on Mali as a result of its interim government’s failure to organize the scheduled elections. When a new deadline of 2024 was established, the penalties were only then abolished.

A year from now, Burkina Faso has also committed to returning to civilian rule, while Guinea last week shortened its transition period to 24 months in response to ECOWAS criticism.

Following the coup, Niger has already been the target of a wave of international sanctions, notably those from ECOWAS, increasing the pressure on the country’s economy. Niger is one of the world’s poorest countries.

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Source: Reuters