Dialogue and mediation should be first options to tackle Niger situation — Bombande

Former Executive Director of the West African Network for Peace Building (WANEP) Emmanuel Bombande has suggested to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to first adopt dialogue and negotiation to resolve the issues in troubled Niger.

He indicated that although military intervention by the ECOWAS is allowed, the first option should be dialogue and negotiations.

Speaking on the Ghana Tonight show on TV3 Thursday, August 17, the United Nations Senior Mediation Advisor said “I think the message of trying to use what has been described by the ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs as ‘by all means’ is basically to have a very strong and firm hand and to insist that ECOWAS will not relent.

“But for me, the language should exactly portray the ECOWAS political engagement through dialogue and mediation and not create a misrepresentation that the military option has not come to the fore.”

The former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs added “I say for this simple reason, what is the objective of the ECOWAS? The objective of ECOWAS, going back to its own protocols, particularly the one on democracy and good governance of 2001, does not present what you might call a military option when a situation like this arises.

“What it presents more is to use the type of preventable diplomatic effort, negotiations, and dialogue though in the repertoire of choices to make for the restoration of constitutional rule, Ecowas could now deploy any other means that might ensure that constitutional rule is reestablished.”

The Commissioner for Political, Peace and Security of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Dr Abdul Fatau Musa, has said that the junta in Niger is playing a cat-and-mouse game with the community.

He has nonetheless assured, that by all means, democratic rule would be restored in Niger.

“By all means available, constitutional order will be restored,” Dr Fatau stressed.

“If push comes to shove, we are going into Niger with our machinery, we are not going to beg for alms,” he said at the extraordinary meeting ongoing in Accra today Thursday and Friday for army chiefs of some West African states over sending troops to Niger to restore constitutional order.

The meeting follows a decision by the Authority of Heads of State and Government of the Economic Community of West African States to activate a standby force in the crisis-hit West African nation.

The West African bloc had initially given the military junta led by General Abdourahamane Tchiani a seven-day ultimatum to reinstate Mohamed Bazoum as President.

After the ultimatum elapsed, the Authority decided on Thursday, August 10 in Abuja, Nigeria to explore other options including an intervention by stand-by force.

Ghana's Parliament is reported to have thrown its weight behind a military intervention of a combined force in Niger.

Ivory Coast's leader Alassane Ouattara, after the Abuja meeting, told reporters that his country has completed financial arrangements to contribute a battalion to the force.

“Cote d'Ivoire will provide a battalion and has made all financial arrangements for the operation if it is to last three months,” President Ouattara said.

“Provisions will be made at the budgetary level so that our soldiers and officers who will participate in this operation do not lack anything. So Cote d'Ivoire is ready.”

The Committee of Chiefs of Defence Staff's meeting in Ghana's military base, Burma Camp, will “finalise plans for the deployment of the Standby Force”.

-3news.com