Ecowas defence chiefs don decide on wen dem go intervene for Niger

ECOWAS officials don tok say, regional Defence Chiefs don decide on a date to intervene for Niger following wetin dem don describe as di 'refusal of di regime and di obstacles dem bin dey put for di way of a negotiated settlement of di crisis.’

Wen dem dey brief tori pipo after a two-day meeting of regional Army chiefs, di Ecowas commissioner for political affairs, Ambassador Abdel-Fatau Musah, say dem no dey disclose di date for strategic reasons.

E add say all nine member kontri wey take part for di meeting dey contribute troops and resources for di campaign.

E stress say ‘e go dey surgical; e go dey short-lived to ensure say constitutional order dey restored.'

Dem don also take into consideration di likely security and humanitarian implications of di intervention.

However, Ecowas say dem still dey open to tok to settle di crisis and dem dey send a mediation team to Niger for di coming days.

Di regional bloc dey also demand di immediate release of ousted President Mohammed Bazoum, im family, and members of im goment.

General Abdourahamane Tchiani bin seize power last month for one bloodless coup.

Uranium-rich Niger na one of di poorest kontri for di world but still dey battle a bloody jihadi insurgency.

Di kontri na di staging point for western counterterrorism efforts for di Sahel, and concerns dey say further instability fit worsen di security situation for di region.

Timeline of ECOWAS military interventions since 1990

Di 1990 Liberia intervention

Human rights watch say economic community ceasefire monitoring group (Ecomog) bin succeed to temporarily stop bloodshed during di civil war for Liberia in 1989.

Ghana, Nigeria, Gambia, Guinea and Sierra Leone bin contribute troops for di exercise.

Human rights watch bin also describe di intervention in three phases.

- August reach November 1990 - initial intervention wey lead to ceasefire

- November reach October 1992 - fragile truce

- October 1992 thereafter - renewed war until it den officially declare say e don over for 2002.

E dey controversial, becos some traces of right violations and abuses committed by di personnel bin dey. Di number of troops bin increase until di end of di 14-year conflict.

Sierra Leone, 1998

For Sierra Leone, di war bin last for a decade after wen major Johnny Koroma bin lead coup wey overthrow civilian leader Ahmed Tejan Kabbah.

Again, Ecomog force wey dey led by Nigerian troops intervene to clear out di junta from di capital Freetown.

Some of diz troops move from Monrovia in Liberia to Freetown and dem succeed for di operation wey comot di military regime and bring back Ahmed Kabbah as leader.

Guinea Bissau, 1999

Di matter of coup continue till e reach Guinea Bissau. Di coup no just happun at once.

Dem deploy an estimate of troops wey reach 600 in 1999 as di fight between goment forces wey dey backed by Senegal and Guinea and di coup leaders escalate.

Despite a peace agreement and subsequent unity government tok, conflict still happun again for May.

Anoda coup bin force Ecowas in 2012 to deploy fresh troops to helep restore constitutional rule for di kontri.

Ivory Coast 2003

Na di turn of Ivory Coast, as power struggle lead to political instability wey lead to di December 1999 coup. Na general Robert Gueï lead di coup to overthrow Henri Konan Bédié.

After dat one national dispute lead to disqualification of top political figureheads wey include Alhassane Ouattara.

Di election dispute after October 2000 election bin lead to violent clashes across di kontri. Dem send troops for 2003 as di two parties bin agree on peace deal wey no dey strong enough.

Mali 2013

Human rights watch describe di situation for March 2012 wey junior military officers led by captain Amadou Sankofi bin initiate a coup against den president Amadou Toumani, as one wey get grave consequences.

Di political violence bin lead to di displacement of nearly 500,000 pipo. International pressure bin come after di coup leaders don agree to hand over power to a transitional goment.

Local jaguda group and three Islamist groups (Ansar Dine, movement for unity, Al Qaeda) wey occupy di north of di kontri, sort to impose strict sharia law in Mali.

Ecowas bin send soldiers wey reach about 3,000 in 2013 to go drive out Al Qaeda fighters and would later hand over to a UN peacekeeping mission.

Gambia 2017

Election argument for Gambia in December 2016 bin lead to some unrests. Den president Yahya Jammeh refuse to step down wey make threats from neighboring states to intervene wit military actions.

Even as opposition candidate Adama Barrow win di vote, Yahya dey determined to hang on to power.

Jammeh describe threats of Ecowas to send troops to force am make im accept defeat for di presidential vote as, “a declaration of war”.

Ecowas later achieve dia goal as Jammeh announce for one television address few weeks later say im don finally step down.

Senegal, Nigeria, Mali, Ghana and other West African kontris bin provide troops for di Gambia invasion. Dem station di troops for border as dem await orders.

After 2017

After di Yahyah Jammeh situation, between 2019 and 2022, na about three coups don dey for Mali, Burkina Faso and Guinea.

UN secretary general António Guterres call am “epidemic of coups.”

Sabi pipo for security and international relations tok say Ecowas response to diz coups dey very disappointing. Di bloc bin suspend Mali after di nation experience two coups in eighteen months. Dem also impose sanctions wey no stop di junta - leaving di citizens vulnerable.

Na same sanctions dem apply for Guinea wey also suffer a coup for September 2021. Burkina Faso also record a successful coup too and na so e continue.

Pipo tok say Ecowas gatz do more dan wetin e dey do.

And wit Niger situation wey dey di burner, di regional bloc wan make a statement wey go dey clear.

Di clearest steps wey dey next from here according to political watchers, na for Ecowas to escalate di measures. For wetin di chair of di body, Bola Tinubu tok, “bring about a peaceful resolution as a roadmap wey go restore stability and democracy for Niger”.