MOSCOW, August 15. /TASS/. Heads of General Staffs of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) member states plan to meet later this week to discuss a military operation in Niger. Meanwhile, various sides and organizations call to reject an intervention.
Niger rebels that seized power during the July coup believe that the ECOWAS follows the will of its Western benefactors by threatening to use force in order to restore the constitutional order in the republic.
Here are the key points about the situation around Niger.
Charges against the deposed president
On August 13, the rebels announced that they intend to charge deposed president Bazoum with high treason.
Bazoum’s exiled Foreign Minister Hassoumi Massaoudou stated that the military, who seized power in the republic, have no authority to hold a court hearing or press charges. He also said that Bazoum’s liberation is a precondition for negotiations with the rebels.
Meanwhile, Bazoum’s advisor told Al Jazeera that, after being liberated, the deposed president will not press charges against the rebels "in the name of supreme interests of the nation."
A threat of intervention
After returning from the ECOWAS Summit in Abuja on August, President of Cote d'Ivoire Alassane Ouattara announced that the association leaders agreed to begin a military operation Niger "as soon as possible."
The meeting of heads of ECOWAS General Staffs will take place in Ghana’s capital city of Accra on August 17-18, according to the RFI radio. Meanwhile, Al Arabiya reports that the meeting on the military operation will take place at the end of this week.
Meanwhile, the Armed Forces of Nigeria announced joint military exercise involving all branches of the military in order to increase the level of personnel training.
Reaction of Niger rebels
The rebels recalled the ambassador to Cote d’Ivoire over Ouattara’s claims about ECOWAS’ decision to begin an intervention.
The head of rebels’ National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland Abdourahamane Tchiani expressed his outrage over Ouattara’s threats. According to Tchiani, the remarks made by the president and some of his counterparts, as well as the decision to impose sanctions against Niger are a "display of will of their Western benefactors."
On Tuesday, head of the rebel government Ali Lamine Zeine arrived in Chad. According to Al Jazeera, Zeine plans to discuss Chad’s proposals on settlement of the situation in Niger.
International reaction
German Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development Svenja Schulze stated that Germany advocates restoration of the constitutional order in Niger and Bazoum’s liberation. Currently, Schulze is on a trip to Western African states, where she is expected to hold negotiations with ECOWAS representatives. It is expected that the talks will focus on how Germany can support the efforts on finding a peaceful resolution for the situation in Niger.
Mali's Minister of Defense Sadio Camara called the threats of ECOWAS’ intervention in Niger a "cowardly and dangerous form" of Western diktat. Earlier, Mali and Burkina Faso stated that they will perceive a military operation in Niger as an attack on themselves.
Algeria also spoke against the intervention. Head of the People’s National Army of Algeria Army General Said Chengriha underscored that a foreign military intervention would lead to "further exacerbation of the ongoing crisis and will become a threat to security of the entire region."
Algerian Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf opined that even the ECOWAS itself has no certainty regarding the success of the military intervention.
The National Council of Traditional Rulers of Nigeria also called on ECOWAS to engage in negotiations with the rebels. The forum chairman Alhaji Aliyu Saulawa believes that a dialogue will allow "the military of Niger to develop a political program for a transition period." The Association of West Africa Universities (AWAU) contacted the ECOWAS with a similar request to refrain from the use of force.
Russia’s position
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Interim President of Mali Assimi Goita underscored the importance of achieving a peaceful settlement in Niger "exclusively via peaceful political and diplomatic means" during their phone call.
Commenting on the situation in Niger, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov noted how "the West reacts in unison now" to the coup in the republic, demanding restoration of the constitutional order "via virtually any means available." Meanwhile, in 2014, Western states reacted to the coup in Ukraine differently, the Minister noted.