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2023-08-14 Africa North

Niger Coup News Roundup for August 13th, 2023

Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
Nigeria announces military preparations for Operation ECOWAS

[Regnum] The Nigerian Defense Headquarters has begun preparations for a possible mobilization of troops to conduct a military operation against the rebels in Niger under the auspices of the Economic Community of West African Nations (ECOWAS). On Sunday, August 13, the Punch newspaper reported.

According to the source, the Nigerian Armed Forces High Command instructed unit leaders to provide the Defense Headquarters with detailed information on personnel readiness, equipment and logistics in order to prepare for the intervention in Niger.

It is noted that the Nigerian Armed Forces are considering using from 300 thousand to one million of their military personnel in the ECOWAS operation against the rebels in Niger.

As IA Regnum reported, on August 11, Agence France-Presse reported that ECOWAS had postponed the meeting of the heads of the general staffs of the countries on the situation in Niger for an indefinite period. Initially, the meeting was scheduled for August 12, the postponement of the date was explained by the occurrence of technical difficulties.

Earlier, the President of Côte d'Ivoire, Alassane Ouattara , said that the Economic Community of West African Countries, following the United States of America and France, supported the early start of a military intervention operation in Niger.

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Plans to invade Niger lead to dispute at ECOWAS

Members of Parliament of the Economic Community of West Africa (ECOWAS) are trying to resolve the differences that arose because of the organization's plans to launch a military intervention in Niger, where a coup d'état took place at the end of July. This was reported by the Qatari TV channel Al Jazeera.

Al Jazeera: ECOWAS Parliament Tries to Negotiate Niger Invasion
Deputies must agree on a common position in order to make a specific decision. Some parliamentarians believe that the only way to restore constitutional order in the country is through diplomacy and dialogue.

This group of deputies calls for the lifting of sanctions against Niger, which were introduced earlier by the decision of ECOWAS. Parliamentarians believe that the restrictions "hit the citizens, not the leaders of the coup."

Another part of the members of parliament calls for decisive action and an intervention in Niger.

As IA Regnum reported , on August 10, the President of Côte d'Ivoire, Alassane Ouattara , said that ECOWAS, following the United States and France, supported the early start of an operation for military intervention in Niger. The head of the republic added that his country would send from 850 to 1100 thousand of its troops for the invasion.

On August 11, ECOWAS postponed indefinitely "for technical reasons" a meeting of the heads of the general staffs of the states that make up this community. The event was supposed to discuss further plans for the activation and deployment of the organization's reserve forces.

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In Niger, the Prime Minister called the sanctions imposed by ECOWAS inhumane

The sanctions imposed by the Economic Community of West African Countries (ECOWAS) against Niger were called for by the head of the country's transitional government, Ali Lamine Zein . This was announced on August 12 by the RTN TV channel.

Ali Lamine Zein was appointed to the position of Prime Minister by the head of the National Council for the Salvation of the Homeland, General Abdurahman Tchiani . In this capacity, Zein met with a delegation of Nigerian religious leaders who had come to Niamey on a mediation mission.

The Prime Minister described the meeting as very important for the rapprochement between Niger and Nigeria and indicated that the religious leaders had given him a message from the President of Nigeria. It refers to the lifting of ECOWAS sanctions. Zein called the ECOWAS restrictive measures against Niger "inhumane, unfair and unacceptable" as they are contrary to the rules and regulations set by the community.

“We remain open to mediation in order to remove all these restrictions and normalize the situation,” the Prime Minister of Niger concluded.

Earlier , IA Regnum reported that the European Union is preparing the introduction of individual sanctions against Niger in support of the efforts of the Economic Community of West African Countries (ECOWAS) to "restore democracy" in the republic.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said the EU will continue to deliver humanitarian aid to Niger and stand by the people of the country, "especially in the name of protecting their human rights."

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