Niger Junta Issues Strong Threat Over Planned Military Intervention

Niger Junta Issues Strong Threat Over Planned Military Intervention

Niger’s military junta has issued a warning that they will execute ousted President Mohamed Bazoum if neighboring nations attempt any military action to restore him to power.

As reported by The Associated Press on Thursday, two “Western officials” revealed that the coup leaders made this threat while in conversation with a senior U.S. diplomat.

This development occurred shortly before the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) announced that it had authorized the deployment of a “ready force” to reinstate democracy in Niger, following the expiration of its Sunday deadline to reinstate Bazoum’s government.

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The threat against the deposed president adds higher stakes for both ECOWAS and the junta, which has displayed a willingness to escalate its actions since seizing control on July 26.

Niger had been considered the final country in the Sahel region below the Sahara Desert that Western nations could collaborate with to counter extremist violence associated with groups like al-Qaeda and the Islamic State. This violence has resulted in numerous deaths and the displacement of millions.

The international community is urgently seeking a peaceful resolution to the leadership crisis in the country.

The AP report disclosed that a Western military source, speaking anonymously due to the sensitivity of the matter, stated that representatives of the junta informed U.S. Under Secretary of State Victoria Nuland about the threat to Bazoum during her recent visit to the country.

A U.S. official reportedly confirmed this account, also requesting anonymity due to lack of authorization to communicate with the media.

These threats from both sides heighten tensions but could potentially push them closer to meaningful dialogue, suggested Aneliese Bernard, a former U.S. State Department official specializing in African affairs, who now directs Strategic Stabilization Advisors, a risk advisory firm.

“However, given how rapidly this junta has escalated its actions, there’s a possibility they might take more extreme measures, as that has been their approach so far,” she cautioned.

Nine leaders from the 15-member West African bloc convened in Abuja on Thursday to discuss their next actions.

Following the discussions, Omar Alieu Touray, President of the ECOWAS Commission, stated that he could only reaffirm the decision by “the military authorities in the subregion to deploy a standby force of the community.”

Touray noted that financing had been deliberated, and “appropriate measures have been taken.”

He assigned blame to the junta for any hardships stemming from the sanctions imposed on Niger and emphasized that further actions by the bloc would be taken collectively.

“This is not a confrontation between one country and another. The community has mechanisms that all members have agreed upon,” he explained.

A former British Army official with experience in Nigeria remarked to the AP that the ECOWAS statement could be interpreted as a signal to begin assembling their forces with the eventual goal of restoring constitutional order.

Regarding the use of force, the official, who lacked authorization to speak with the media, mentioned that currently, there were no arrangements in place aside from Nigerian forces. Without support from other regional armies and enabling factors, the likelihood of their intervention remains low.

ECOWAS has imposed stringent economic and travel sanctions on Niger. Nonetheless, experts suggest that the organization might be running out of options as support for intervention diminishes. The bloc has struggled to prevent previous coups in the region, with Niger marking the fourth member state to experience a coup within the last three years.