Niger junta recalcitrant, interfering with humanitarian access – ECOWAS Commission

The military junta in Niger is recalcitrant and has refused to release President Mohamed Bazoum and members of his cabinet and family, the President of the Economic Community of West African States, (ECOWAS) Commission, Omar Touray, said on Sunday in Abuja at the ongoing meeting of ECOWAS leaders.

Mr Touray also said the junta, which seized power in a coup in July, is interfering with the humanitarian activities that ECOWAS has allowed into Niger despite the sanctions imposed on the country.

In his opening remarks at the 64th Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government in Abuja, Mr Touray said the regional body had partially lifted sanctions to allow for access to medical and humanitarian goods for the people.

Every year, humanitarian organisations including Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) provide treatment to some 400,000 severely malnourished Nigerien children, in a country where 3.3 million people are suffering from acute food insecurity.

“We are aware of the dire humanitarian situation in Niger Republic. And in line with the provisions of our community texts, we granted humanitarian access to medical and humanitarian goods for the sake of the people, but reports from humanitarian agencies show that the military authorities have been interfering with humanitarian access,” the ECOWAS Commission president said.

Mr Touray said the commission maintains its ‘firm stance’ on zero-tolerance to unconstitutional change of government in the region by maintaining its decision on Niger Republic.

He, however, said the Nigerien military has shown little or no remorse “as they hold onto their untenable positions, holding not only President Bazoum, his family, and members of his government hostage, but also the people of Niger.”

Mr Touray also said that ECOWAS has observed some breaches of the sanctions which include the massive movement of physical cash by individuals across borders, a high volume of transit goods through Burkina Faso and smuggling through porous borders and inland waterways.

“As we monitor the implementation of the sanctions, we noted with satisfaction the courage and determination of your governments to effectively apply the sanctions. We note that some political actors and groups in the region have been misrepresenting issues around the sanctions to score cheap political points. Your firm and unambiguous commitment to the principles and values of our community is therefore salutary,” he added.

Shortly after some Nigerien military officers led by Abdourahmane Tchiani, an army general, toppled President Mohamed Bazoum in July, ECOWAS ordered member countries to implement certain sanctions on Niger.

ECOWAS directed member countries to close their borders with Niger and halted trade with the country until power was returned to the democratically elected government.

Niger’s larger neighbour, Nigeria, has led the implementation of the sanctions, cut off electricity supply to Niger and shut its borders through which billions of naira worth of goods travel every year.

Although ECOWAS earlier approved the deployment of a standby force to chase the coup plotters in Niger, President Bola Tinubu of Nigeria, who is also the ECOWAS president, resisted the implementation.

PREMIUM TIMES reported that Mr Tinubu announced that he resisted international pressure to authorise the deployment of soldiers to Niger which could have led to a full-blown war.

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Despite ongoing negotiations with the Niger junta, Mr Bazoum, his family and some members of his government are still being held by the military.

On Thursday, Niger lost its plea to have the sanctions lifted at the ECOWAS Court of Justice in Abuja.

The president of the court, Edward Asante, who led the three-member panel of the court that gave the decision, held that the junta failed to meet the additional requirement for the case to be admissible. The two other judges on the panel – Gbéri-bè Ouattara and Dupe Atoki – agreed with the judgement.