“Down with France, down with ECOWAS,” thousands of coup supporters chanted in Niamey, not far from the French military base, shortly after Russia returned to give a sign of support to the coup plotters and the day after the decision of the African regional bloc to activate the readiness force that could intervene militarily in Niger.
“Let’s let the French leave! ECOWAS is not independent, it is being manipulated by France,” one protester, Aziz Rabeh Ali, a student union member, told AFP. Many waved Russian and Niger flags and chanted support for General Abdourahamane Tchiani.
A colonial power until 1960, France has about 1,500 troops in Niger, part of a mission begun eight years ago against the jihadist threat. But as Russia gains upper hand in the region, whether through the mercenaries of the Wagner group or its effective disinformation machine, Paris is facing growing hostility in the Sahel, having been forced to withdraw its forces from neighboring countries last year. Mali and Burkina Faso, after the break with the new leaders of both countries, resulting from military coups that deposed the elected.
Last week, Niger’s new leaders annulled defense deals with France, while a hostile protest outside the French embassy in Niamey on July 30 prompted Paris to withdraw its citizens.
The military chiefs of ECOWAS states are meeting today in Accra, Ghana’s capital, after political leaders approved the deployment of a “standby force to restore constitutional order” on Thursday, ending the seven-day ultimatum of the body for the army to restore Mohamed Bazoum to the presidency. While they emphasized that they continue to pursue a peaceful solution, they did not provide details about possible military intervention. The ECOWAS force consists of 2500 troops.
Meanwhile, Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara announced that his country will provide a battalion of 850 to 1100 soldiers, saying that his side will be men from Nigeria and Benin and from other countries, without specifying which. But he made it clear that the operation “can start as soon as possible”. However, Moscow warned that a military solution “could lead to a protracted confrontation” in Niger and to “strong destabilization” across the region.
Concern over the conditions of Bazoum and his family led UN human rights official Volker Turk to state that their detention conditions “may constitute inhuman and degrading treatment, in violation of international human rights law”. The African Union, the European Union and Germany also expressed concern about Bazoum.
Source: DN
