PRETORIA, August 29. /TASS/. Nigeria and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) will not rush into a possible military intervention in Niger, Ajuri Ngelale, special adviser to the Nigerian president on media and publicity, said in an interview with the Independent Nigeria newspaper.
"Heads of ECOWAS nations have agreed that all options should be considered to ensure constitutional law and order be restored in Niger," he said. "But there is an understanding that military intervention is not something ECOWAS will rush into. We will not declare war on our neighbor tomorrow. The military option is a last resort. It is a last resort, not the next step."
He noted that ECOWAS’ sanctions against Niger are not working and the organization and its member Nigeria are afraid that these restrictions may impact Niger’s neighbors. "Talks continue to minimize the damage actions may have on Niger’s citizens," he said. "We are not in conflict with Niger’s citizens. This is a conflict with a group of rebels, a bevy of people who took the democratically elected president [Mohamed Bazoum] hostage along with his family to seize power. We will mitigate the sanctions as much as possible to reduce their impact on Niger’s citizens."
In late July, a group of military rebels in Niger announced the removal of President Mohamed Bazoum. They then established the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland (Conseil national pour la sauvegarde de la patrie, CNSP), headed by General Abdourahmane Tchiani, to run the country. The leaders of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) demanded the rebels set Bazoum free and warned about a military resolution of the situation if he is not released. Apart from that, ECOWAS suspended Niger’s membership in the organization and imposed tough sanctions on the country, stopping all financial transactions with Niger and freezing its assets in the central banks of ECOWAS countries. Moreover, Nigeria stopped power supplies to Niger.