ACF WARNS ECOWAS AGAINST INTERVENING MILITARILY IN NIGER.

Tunji Wusu –

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has been cautioned by the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) against using force to remove the Military Junta in the Republic of Niger.

Malam Murtala Aliyu, the Secretary General of the ACF in Kaduna, said this in a statement.

The ACF condemned the coup and demanded that democratic rule be reinstated in Niger, saying: “The forum endorses the position to reinstate democratic rule in Niger.

“In the interest of peaceful cohabitation with the steadfast neighbor and the stability of the ECOWAS region, the ECOWAS should follow the route of negotiation and diplomacy and most definitely not use force to resolve the current standoff in Niger.

“Families, communities, and shared resources such as farms, markets, cultural links, and languages have existed along Nigeria’s and Niger’s historical border for many centuries prior to the Trans-Saharan Trade and colonial times.

The forum emphasized that the ECOWAS’s proposed actions should assess the potential negative effects of using force against the historical precedents and shared interests of the two nations.

The military option shouldn’t be a must for Nigeria and the community’s ongoing efforts to enshrine democracy in the region in the 21st century, even though the ACF acknowledges ECOWAS’ position to apply pressure to the coupists.

“The ECOWAS is a shining example of a Regional Economic Cooperation (REC) that operates effectively on the Continent and should be maintained.

“Although a military intervention would produce quick fixes, the effects for Nigeria as a leader and the regional organization would be detrimental to future relations and make recovery an impossible challenge.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government gave the Nigerien military a seven-day deadline on Sunday to reestablish constitutional order and restore ousted President Muhammed Bazoum to his position.

In addition to recognizing Bazoum as the legal leader of the island nation, ECOWAS also imposed border and land closures and halted all commercial air travel between Niger and its neighboring nations.

Omar Touray, the president of the ECOWAS Commission, announced the choice and stated that all of the member states’ chiefs of defense staff will convene for an urgent conference to discuss the best means to carry out a potential military action to reinstate Bazoum as president.