Military Developments In The Niger Junta/ECOWAS Standoff

Africablack said:

Uprising? Not from where I'm standing there isn't. Again it's just a bunch of loudmouths trying to cause trouble and steal people's hard earned money.

Nigeria doesn't want coups to become the norm in the region and while I can't stand the current governments military governments are most likely going to be worse. Besides, Wagner shouldn't be having a say in West African affairs. I make no distinctions between the Russians and the West, they are all Europeans who should not be given power over African resources.

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Call it whatever you want, insurgency, uprising, terrorist campaign, but it looks like they are doing a lot more than being loud mouths:

The Nigerian military isn't exactly sitting back and letting these attacks happen:

Don't the people of Niger get a say? They seem pretty supportive of the new government.

Which west African countries do you think are controlled by the west?

Abominable said:

Call it whatever you want, insurgency, uprising, terrorist campaign, but it looks like they are doing a lot more than being loud mouths:

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The Nigerian military isn't exactly sitting back and letting these attacks happen:

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Don't the people of Niger get a say? They seem pretty supportive of the new government.

Which west African countries do you think are controlled by the west?

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Those stories were months ago, they've seemed to have calmed down lately after reaching some sort of deal with the SE governors. The truth is that there's no real movement of Biafra in the south east and whatever was left of it has pretty much died down. What we've been witnessing are just criminals looking for a convenient excuse to do what they've always wanted to do anyway.

As for the people of Niger, they get to have a say but 1) we don't really know what the people of Niger want because no military government will allow opposition and 2) the people of Niger have to understand that what happens in Niger also has consequences on Nigeria as well. Nigeria can't allow Wagner to set up shop and control the entire Sahel, that would be replacing one imperialist with another.

Most West African countries, except Ethiopia, have a colonial past so they are more or less influenced by the former colonial master. However, Europeans practiced different types colonialism. The Brits preferred more indirect rule but the French wanted its colonies to be an indivisible part of France so administered more directly and took control of its governing apparatuses. The Belgians treated its colonies like a Petri dish, where they conducted all sorts of social experiments. Out of all, the British were most eager to let go of its colonies so they set them up accordingly, and after years of indirect rule the new countries were more prepared for independence. There's a reason why today most of the African powers were former British colonies (Nigeria in the west, Kenya in the east, SA in the south, etc.). The French colonies were not accustomed to governing themselves the way the British colonies were so were more dependent on France, even today ask how many French West African countries have independent central banks. French companies still dominate in Franco-Africa and still get dibs on bidding for jobs there, French citizens don't get taxed, etc. I can understand why they are sick of it.

Because most West African countries are French speaking France still has a huge say in West African affairs, that's why there's been tension between France and Nigeria. To try to reduce French influence in West Africa Nigeria spearheaded the creation of ECOWAS (Treaty of Lagos) to offset French influence by trying to get West Africans more involvement in its own affairs, economically aligning and eventually creating a military alliance. This is why I laugh when people, who don't know what they're talking about, say ECOWAS is a French puppet organization. It is NOT and has NEVER been a French puppet organization, its very existence is to counter French influence in the region.

ECOWAS rejects Niger's three-year transition plan

ECOWAS has dismissed as a negotiating tactic the announcement by Niger's coup leader that civilian rule cannot be restored for three years.

The organisation's political commissioner, Abdel-Fatau Musa, said the timetable was unacceptable.

On Saturday, Gen Abdourahamane Tchiani said a national dialogue was needed to lay the foundations for a new political order in Niger.

#ECOWAS #Niger

@africaintel

Niger: Discussions with military junta fruitful, war unlikely – Abdulsalami​

The ECOWAS envoy on the Niger Republic crisis, Retired Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar, said discussions with the military junta on how to resolve the political crisis in the country was fruitful.

Abdulsalami stated thus after submitting a report on their visit to Niamey to President Bola Tinubu in Abuja.

Accompanied by the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr Omar Touray, Abdulsalami said the ECOWAS would continue to explore all options.

The Retired General said the ECOWAS delegation met with the military junta in Niamey on Saturday and discussed on amicably resolving the imbroglio.

He said, ‘’As you are aware, the ECOWAS Heads of State and Government have made me an envoy to Niger Republic and we were there over the weekend to see the military people and discussed to find a way out of the lacuna we find ourselves.

‘’I must say that our visit to Niger has been very fruitful and that it has opened an avenue to start talking and hopefully we’ll get somewhere,’’ he said.

Abubakar added that the delegation also presented the three years transitional plan of the junta to Tinubu who would table it before the regions Heads of State and Government.

He said, ‘’Well, like I said, we’ve started talking, they have made their own points and then I made my report to the Chairman of the ECOWAS Heads of state and President.

‘’He will now consult with his colleagues and then the ding-dong starts and we’ll get somewhere hopefully.”

On the possibility of engaging in dialogue instead of military options to resolve the Niger crisis, he insisted that the leaders still want to employ diplomatic options.


‘’Hopefully, diplomacy will see the better of this. Nobody wants to go to war. It doesn’t pay anybody, but then, our leaders have said if all fails and I don’t think all will fail, we’ll get somewhere, we’ll get out of this mess.’’

Abdulsalami , during the Niger meeting in Niamey on Saturday, met with President Mohamed Bazoum, who was reported not to be receiving adequate health attention along with his family.

Recall that the ECOWAS Heads of State and Government at its meeting last week had ordered the deployment of a military standby force to restore constitutional rule in Niger.

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Niger, Burkina Faso, Mali form military pact​

The junta in Niger, which seized power in a military coup on July 26, has formed a military alliance with the neighbouring countries of Burkina Faso and Mali.

The rulers of Burkina Faso and Mali also seized power in coups


The three countries’ foreign ministers made a joint announcement in Niamey, Niger’s capital.


The accord allows Mali and Burkina Faso to provide military assistance to Niger in the event of military intervention against the putschists there.

A similar agreement already exists between Burkina Faso and Mali.

Following the July coup in Niger, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) activated a standby force and threatened violence if the democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum was not reinstated and constitutional order restored.

Talks between ECOWAS and the Nigerian junta took place previous weekend.

The agreement which was announced also calls for the three countries to take joint action against terrorist groups active in their countries and secure their borders.

For years, the countries in the Sahel region have been threatened by various terrorist militias, some of which have sworn allegiance to Al-Qaeda or the Islamic State.

Under Bazoum, Niger was considered one of the last strategic partners of the West in the fight against the advance of Islamist terrorists in the Sahel. (dpa/NAN)

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Niger officals tell the US and French ambassadors to leave within 48 hours! Americans deny they received anything.

Looks like the war is back on...

Niger has given the U.S. ambassador to the country 48 hours to leave, AFP reported on Friday,

The new U.S. Ambassador to Niger Kathleen Fitzgibbons only arrived in the capital, Niamey, earlier this month.

(Burkina Faso) passes bill to send troops to Niger (if they are under attack)​

Burkina Faso’s ministerial council approved a bill on Wednesday authorizing the government to send a military contingent to defend Niger, in the event that the coup leaders in Niamey come under attack.

The move is in line with Burkina Faso’s “strategic commitments,” the council said in a statement late on Wednesday, published by the Burkina Faso Information Agency.

“This commitment is made to prevent and lead our fight against terrorism as best as possible,” Defense Minister Kassoum Coulibaly stated, adding that “what affects the security of Niger fundamentally affects the security of Burkina Faso.”

The military governments of Burkina Faso and Mali have pledged their support for Niger’s new rulers, who seized power in a coup last month and have placed President Mohamed Bazoum and his family under house arrest.

Bamako and Ouagadougou have since vowed to defend Niamey's coup leaders from any armed action by the West African regional authority, ECOWAS.

The 15-nation ECOWAS bloc has insisted on using diplomatic means to resolve the crisis, but it has declared a “D-Day” to send troops into Niger if the coup leaders continue to refuse negotiations.

Last week, the Sahel nation’s new authorities signed an order to permit the defense and security forces of Burkina Faso and Mali to intervene on its territory in the event of an attack.

The foreign ministries of the three former French colonies also announced the establishment of a consultation framework and a joint secretariat to coordinate responses to security challenges.

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Touray said Ecowas was worried that its announcement earlier this month that it might use military action to restore constitutional order in Niger was being misinterpreted in media reports.

He said, “Ecowas has neither declared war on the people of Niger nor is there a plan, as has been purported, to invade the country.”

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Yeah. Some western media are intentionally pushing the Niger invasion idea and narrative.

SDtom said:

Yeah. Some western media are intentionally pushing the Niger invasion idea and narrative.

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It looks more like they are backtracking and using Western media as a scapegoat. Remember that the Nigeria senate rejected the president request to deploy Nigerian troops into Niger. They were expected to provide more then +50% of the ECOWAS invasion force. If there wasn’t a plan to invade then there wouldn’t have been a need to request the senate for authorization. In any case, war in West Africa seems to be waning.

Precursor to an intervention?

French ambassador is being ‘held hostage at the French embassy’ in Niger, says Macron​

By Dalal Mawad and Chris Liakos, CNN
Updated 5:22 PM EDT, Fri September 15, 2023