Posted by Ambassador Abayomi Mumuni of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos has urged the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to postpone any military action in Niger.
Instead of using force, the security expert advised ECOWAS to step up efforts to gain the release of ousted Nigerien president Mohamed Bazoum.
According to 460play, Bazoum has been taken hostage since July 26 as a result of the military coup that took place in the Niger Republic.
The ECOWAS Chairman, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, had deemed the coup to be unacceptable and given the junta a deadline to reestablish democratic authority.
War is not the solution, Mumuni said Tinubu in a statement made available to 460play on Sunday through his media assistant, Rasheed Abubakar.
If war were to break out, he said, Tinubu shouldn’t be shocked if other Francophone countries in the association later pitched their tents with Niger.
The release of President Mohamed Bazoum should have been the top priority for ECOWAS when the coup was revealed, according to Mumuni. And to accomplish this, strong diplomatic initiatives and compelling communications should be used.
“War and military action are not the solution. I believe that ECOWAS can handle the problem more effectively than by inciting a war with unknown and horrible repercussions. The leaders of ECOWAS should therefore step up their diplomatic efforts and persuasion in their talks with the junta. The failure of the previous diplomatic effort shouldn’t dissuade them.
“The life of the deposed president is most valuable in all of these crises. He should be the first to survive. Any declaration of war could result in his death, defeating the purpose of the whole thing. The liberation of Bazoum ought to be ECOWAS’s top priority. They ought to exert more effort and keep calling for the junta to release him.
The temptation to send ECOWAS troops to Niger should be resisted by President Tinubu. If war were to break out, he should not be astonished if other Francophone countries in the association eventually pitch their tents with Niger. We are oriented in quite different ways. They were a colony of France, and Nigeria was a colony of Great Britain. Despite being fierce and powerful in the African community, our military institution has been overburdened by domestic terrorism. The Niger situation can be resolved by diplomatic contacts and methods, so we shouldn’t add to it.
The Western gladiators are currently viewing this as a chance to watch Africa wage war on itself. Never should we allow it to occur.