The Economic Commission of West African States (ECOWAS) has disclosed that its intended intervention in Niger will not be funded by external powers.
President Mohamed Bazoum was overthrown on July 26, 2023, and the military has stated their intentions to prosecute him.
While interacting with journalists, Ambassador Abdel-Fatau Musah, the ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace & Security, expressed their preparedness to find an amicable solution to the impasse in Niger.
Reacting to claims that other countries, such as France, are influencing ECOWAS to fight the military junta, Ambassador Musah insisted that West African leaders act on their own convictions.
He added that instead of accessing funds from the United Nations (UN) coffers, as is the usual process, ECOWAS is solely funding its operations.
“The heads of states are saying we are going to Niger with our own resources. Anybody who wants to help us, fair enough,” he said.
He, however, insisted that the UN is supporting the actions of ECOWAS.
“The UN Secretariat has supported us, and we working constantly with the special representative of the Secretary-General for West Africa, which also shows the support for what we are doing,” Ambassador Musah stressed.
On Thursday, August 10, ECOWAS decided to intervene in Niger’s coup d’état by ordering the “activation” and the “deployment” of a regional standby force to restore constitutional order in the country.
This new alternative by ECOWAS followed the violation of the one-week ultimatum they gave Niger’s military junta to reinstate their President, Mohamed Bazoum.
Meanwhile, many commentators have suggested that the situation be resolved through diplomacy due to potential consequences.