Nitiwul’s War Cry

The Defence Minister of Ghana, Mr. Dominic Nitiwul has made a categorical statement on the developing story in Niger. He charges the Ecowas standby military force to apply its strength and superiority to conquer the junta in Niger.

Addressing military chiefs of Ecowas at the Burma Camp in Accra, he said, Ecowas will not retreat on its mission to dislodge the coup makers in Niger as part of the political renaissance and resolution of West Africa not to entertain military takeovers.

He said the Ecowas position on Niger is the consequence of the frowardness of the military in Niger to diplomacy. Ghana’s Defence Minister noted that if coups are not discouraged the people whose will is vested in democratically-elected governments will suffer like the situation in Niger and other jurisdictions where the heavy hand of sanctions is in full force.

”The days when military coups enjoyed the support of our people are over” he stated.

Some political commentators have warned Ecowas to tread cautiously in the Niger affair as it is a potential powder keg for conflagration within the volatile region. They say other military governments in Africa’s Sahel are in the retinue of Niger which also enjoys the tacit backing of Russia and Algeria.

The ousted Nigerien Leader, Mohamed Bazoum is a pro-West, and his established inclination draws countries like France and the United States into the Niger equation increasingly looking like a proxied conflict.

Niger is considered one of the world’s poorest, yet in reality, the country is doing enough to shed off the unenviable title. The unusual times have shown the economic muscle of Niger in the mix, as there are already shortages in vegetable and cattle supplies within the broader economic zone. The country occupies a strategic aviation route across Africa to Europe. Her large Uranium reserves are of great interest to major powers.