Niamey: On the eve of a crucial summit on the latest crisis in the Sahel, Niger's new military rulers on Wednesday accused France, the nation's longtime ally, of releasing captured militants and violating an airspace ban.
Following a confrontation over the weekend, diplomacy appears to be taking precedence over military intervention at the ECOWAS leaders' meeting in Abuja, Nigeria, to discuss options.
The regime in Niger accused France of "unilaterally freeing captured terrorists"—a term for the extremists leading a brutal eight-year insurgency—two weeks after a coup that deposed the country's elected president.
On the eve of an important summit on the latest crisis in the Sahel, Niger's new military leaders accused France, the nation's longtime ally, of releasing militants who had been captured and violating an airspace ban.
The leaders of the ECOWAS group of West African nations will meet in Abuja, Nigeria, to discuss their options. Following a confrontation last weekend, diplomacy appears to be winning out over military intervention at the moment.
The regime in Niger accused France of "unilaterally freeing captured terrorists" two weeks after a coup that overthrew the country's elected president. Terrorists are the term for the extremists waging a brutal eight-year insurgency.
A representative of the French government denied the two claims. The source claimed that "no terrorist has been freed by French forces," adding that the flight had been "authorised by and coordinated with" the armed forces of Niger.
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) summit is taking place on Thursday, and Nigeria, the region's superpower and a supporter of a stern stance against the coup, is serving as chairman.
The bloc gave Niger's military rulers until last Sunday to restore President Mohamed Bazoum or risk using force, trying to stop a wave of putsches among its members.
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However, the coup leaders resisted, and nothing was done in response to the ultimatum.
A plan to dispatch a team of ECOWAS, UN, and African Union (AU) representatives to the nation's capital Niamey on Tuesday failed.
In light of what they claimed was widespread opposition to the sanctions imposed by ECOWAS, the coup leaders claimed they could not guarantee the "safety" of the mission. ECOWAS and Nigeria declared they would still pursue all available options to end the crisis despite the failure, and the United States emphasised a "peaceful" resolution despite its own rejection.
According to ECOWAS, it will "continue to deploy all measures to restore constitutional order" in Niger.
The president of Nigeria, Bola Tinubu, stated via his spokesman that "no options have been taken off the table" but that diplomacy was the "best way forward."
On Monday, the United States dispatched veteran envoy Victoria Nuland to Niamey, but she was unable to meet Bazoum or even the new strongman, General Abdourahamane Tiani, and she left empty-handed.
Although this is the case, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated on Wednesday that he had spoken to Bazoum "to express our continued efforts to find a peaceful resolution" to the "current constitutional crisis."
A softer stance was also indicated by France, which had taken a combative stance as the ECOWAS ultimatum approached. A diplomat from France stated that it was "up to ECOWAS to take a decision, of whatever kind, on restoring constitutional order in Niger." Bazoum, 63, was taken into custody by his presidential guard on July 26.
It is the fourth coup in the 15-nation ECOWAS since 2020 and the fifth in Niger since its independence from France in 1960.
The election of Bazoum in 2021 had aided Niger in forging strong ties with France and the United States, which both have significant bases and troop deployments there.
An extremist insurgency that began in northern Mali in 2012, spread to Niger and Burkina Faso in 2015, and is currently unsettling states on the Gulf of Guinea is causing tension in the fragile Sahel region.
These three countries, which have a long history of unrest and are among the world's poorest, have suffered greatly as a result of the bloody campaign.
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Mali and Burkina Faso are no longer on good terms with France, the region's former colonial power and longtime ally, as a result of their coups. Last year, France withdrew its troops from those nations and changed the focus of its anti-extremism strategy to Niger.
Mali and Burkina Faso have expressed support for their neighbours in Niger and warned that any military action by the ECOWAS would be viewed as a "declaration of war" against them.