The Member of Parliament for Bawku Central and a member of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Parliament, Mahama Ayariga, says the regional bloc will succeed even with the slightest effort if it intervenes in the Niger coup.
On July 27, soldiers, primarily from the presidential guard, seized Niger’s President Mohamed Bazoum, leading to the dissolution of the constitution, suspension of all institutions, and the closure of the nation’s borders. President Mohamed Bazoum remains in the custody of the presidential guard.
Speaking in an interview with Bernard Avle on The Point of View on Citi TV on Wednesday, Mr. Ayariga said he believed that the Nigerien security forces could not match up to ECOWAS, and that is why the latter would succeed if it intervened.
“I do not think that the Nigerien security apparatus has the capacity to withstand the combined efforts of West Africa,” he said.
“If they decide to intervene, and they even make in my opinion a minimum effort, I believe they will succeed. The reason is that the Nigerian security apparatus is not united behind the president’s guard unit that is really behind this coup.”
Meanwhile, Colonel Festus Aboagye (Rtd.) cautioned ECOWAS to be careful with how it is handling the process to restore democracy in Niger.
The security analyst condemned the regional bloc’s threat to intervene using the military. He described the move as hasty.
Col. Aboagye said he expects ECOWAS to recalibrate its decisions and consult with the various military chiefs stationed in the country and the Sahel region on the requirements, cost, and risk involved in intervening militarily.
He particularly cautioned the regional bloc to take into consideration the interests of some superpowers in the crisis so as not to complicate the situation further.
