by Guido Keller –
The ultimatum of Ecowas, the Community of West African States, for the restoration of constitutional order in Niger has expired, where last July 26 the soldiers of the National Council for the Protection of the Homeland (CLSP) implemented a coup and deposed President-elect Mohamed Bazoum.
However, Colonel Adbrouhame Tchiani, who heads the National Council for the Protection of the Homeland, has opted to continue on his path and not to listen to either Ecowas, which has threatened military intervention, or the EU, which aspires to a diplomatic solution, nor France, a country which in fact exercises a form of neocolonialism over Niger, also for the uranium mines essential for the functioning of its nuclear power plants.
It must be said that Niger has always been considered by the West to be a country of significant strategic importance, also for the control of jihadist movements and for the fight against drug and human trafficking. However, the coup d’état, adopted “to put an end to the regime you know” in a context of “continuous deterioration of the security situation and the inability to manage the economic and social crisis”, is in fact bringing the umpteenth of the area closer to Russian influence, so much so that during popular demonstrations in support of the putschists, Russian flags fly out and slogans are shouted against France and in favor of Vladimir Putin. The latest was held today at the stadium in the capital Niamey, packed with crowds.
Thus the provisional government of Niger is preparing for an imminent conflict, and having received the support of Mali, Burkina Faso and Guinea, countries led by military juntas following coups d’état, has sent additional troops to the border areas with Nigeria and Benin. In addition to this measure, a ban on flying over Niger was introduced, but the Wall Street Journaltaken fromAnsa, reported its own source at Ecowas who stated that at the moment the Ecowas forces are not ready for an armed intervention, underlining that “success depends on good preparation”. Ecowas premiers, who have already introduced sanctions against the Nigerien military junta, are due to meet in Abuja on Thursday, but Nigerian President Bola Tinubu is now meeting representatives and politicians from the states of Sokoto, Kebbi, Katsina, Zamfara, Jigawa , Borno and Yobe, i.e. those close to the border with Niger, firmly opposed to an armed solution.