The African Regional Organization of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC-Africa) has urged The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) that in order to resolve the crisis in Niger, it must exercise restraint in its planned military intervention.
The appeal comes after they rejected the use of force by ECOWAS to break the current political impasse in Niger, stating that such a course of action was highly unfavorable and unacceptable.
This was provided in a statement that Kwasi Adu-Amankwah, the General Secretary of the ITUC-Africa, signed and released.
According to the General Secretary of ITUC-Africa, counter-threats from some ECOWAS members against the military invasion in Niger have already been issued, and African nations are already witnessing the interaction of exterior geopolitical interests.
Additionally, he argued that these threats and counter-threats are igniting the political spaces in the sub-region, posing a serious threat to peace, stability, and cohesion.
“We are worried by the ECOWAS ultimatum and threat to intervene militarily to restore the deposed president to power. We wish to state categorically and unambiguously that African workers reject a military option in solving this political impasse in Niger. We call on ECOWAS that rather than mobilizing for military deployment, it should instead engage in a robust and swift diplomatic and political move to resolve the crisis.
“In the light of the foregoing, ITUC-Africa considers an ECOWAS’ recourse to naked force in resolving the current political impasse in Niger as most undesirable and unacceptable. ITUC-Africa strongly rejects this option.”
Kwasi Adu-Amankwah
According to ITUC Africa, a military option would undoubtedly worsen the already unstable situation in Niger and cause serious ripple effects throughout the whole West African subregion and the African continent as a whole.
Mr Adu-Amankwah claimed that they supported an open and sincere discourse but opposed any military involvement, since ITUC-Africa was persuaded that diplomatic solutions existed and needed to be seriously pursued.
“We wish to reiterate the call in our earlier statement on the Niger political impasse that ECOWAS and the African Union should take measured steps to convene a solemn assembly to discuss the security and related issues threatening the socio-economic and political stability of the Sahel region and the African continent.”
Kwasi Adu-Amankwah
Emergency Meeting To Be Held
Ahmed Bola Tinubu, the President of Nigeria and Chairman of ECOWAS, has however scheduled a special meeting for this Thursday, August 10, to make a decision regarding the political situation in Niger.
Without a solid promise from the military, the ECOWAS leaders’ deadline for the military junta to transfer power to President Mohammed Bazoum expired on Sunday. In order to reinstate constitutional authority, the heads of state proposed a military intervention.
As stated by the ECOWAS Chairman Tinubu, ECOWAS must make a definite decision regarding Niger on Thursday.
“We will not allow coup after coup in West African sub-region. We will take this up seriously, democracy is very tough to manage, but it’s the best form of government and, we all ascribe to it, and we must bite back at it. We can’t sit like toothless bulldogs.”
Bola Tinubu
On July 27, soldiers in the republic of Niger in Western Africa announced a coup. They claimed to have locked the country’s borders, repealed the constitution, and suspended all institutions. Soldiers from the Presidential guard were keeping control of Niger President, Mohamed Bazoum.
In a phone call, US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken assured President Mohamed Bazoum of Washington’s “unwavering support.” However, the country’s airspace was shut down on August 7 until further notice by the coup leaders, who cited the possibility of military intervention from their neighbors.
ECOWAS, a confederation of West African nations, had earlier issued a warning that it would resort to using force if President Mohamed Bazoum was not restored by Sunday at 23:00 GMT but the warning was not heeded to. According to a junta spokesman, Niger’s armed forces are prepared to defend the nation no matter what.
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