The Guardian view on the Niger putsch: regional pressure holds the key | Editorial
GuardianAug 04, 2023
The Economic Community of West African States' (ECOWAS) commissioner for political affairs, Abdel-Fatau Musah, stated on Friday that the 15-nation bloc has "worked out" plans for a possible military intervention in Niger in response to last week's coup.
ECOWAS gave leaders of Niger's military coup a deadline to step down and reinstate the country's elected President Mohamed Bazoum by Sunday. Niger's junta denounced any external interference and promised retaliation.
The regional response to the coup in Niger is crucial, and ECOWAS faces a major test. A tough response is both the best way for democracy to be restored in Niger. If this doesn't occur, the Sahel region may forever be lost to forces that only seek to do harm. While it's wise that intervention should be led by Western powers, backing and support of potential military action remains crucial to Niger's future.
The threat of intervention by ECOWAS and the West has only created greater unity in Niger, increasing a sense of patriotism against the desires of colonial and external powers. Sanctions and threats against Niger are illegal, illegitimate, and inhumane — only doing damage to the people of the country rather than the military it wishes to target.
There's a 20% chance that ECOWAS will launch a military intervention in Niger before August 12, 2023, according to the Metaculus prediction community.