₦airaland Forum

The breakdown in security cooperation between Nigeria and Niger Republic has not only encouraged the emergence of a new terrorist group, Lakurawa, but has also fuelled mutual suspicions. Ejiofor Alike writes that the two countries should de-escalate tension and re-establish cooperation for their internal security

Tensions between Nigeria and Niger worsened recently as the foreign minister of the former French colony accused Nigeria of facilitating efforts to destabilise the junta-led nation.

The tense relations between the two neighbours had strained following the overthrow of a civilian government in Niger by the country’s military.

With the July 26, 2023 coup d’état in Niger, which sacked President Mohamed Bazoum, and installed General Abdourahamane Tchiani, as the leader of a new military junta, relations between Niger and ECOWAS broke down.

In an emergency session held barely five days after the coup, ECOWAS under the leadership of President Bola Tinubu gave Niger’s junta leaders one week to release and reinstate President Bazoum, threatening that all measures, including the use of force, were on the table to restore constitutional order.

ECOWAS had also imposed sanctions, including the suspension of all commercial and financial transactions, blocking crucial imports and cutting electricity, resulting in blackouts in Niamey and other major cities.

But in his reaction, Gen. Tchiani had, while promising to return Niger to civilian rule within three years, declared that the West African nation did not want a war but would defend itself against any foreign intervention.

“If an attack were to be undertaken against us, it will not be the walk-in-the-park some people seem to think,” he had warned in his televised address.

Tchiani also condemned what he called the “illegal and inhumane” sanctions imposed by ECOWAS on the landlocked country.

Rather than succumb to ECOWAS demand, Niger had joined Mali, and Burkina Faso, to announce their decision to withdraw from ECOWAS in January 2024.

While accusing the regional bloc of deviating from its foundational ideals and succumbing to external influences, the three countries also criticised the imposition of sanctions aimed at reversing their respective coups.

There were series of military takeovers – Mali in 2020 and 2021, Burkina Faso in 2022, and Niger in 2023 – each leading to suspensions from ECOWAS and strained relations with the regional body.

However, few days after President Tinubu had promised German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier that ECOWAS would handle the three countries’ return to the group with wisdom, the regional bloc, in December 2024, formally approved the withdrawal of the three countries from the regional body, with effect from January 29, 2025, in accordance with Article 91 of the revised ECOWAS treaty.

With the breakdown in security cooperation between Nigeria and Niger, insecurity across their borders worsened, leading to the emergence of a new terrorist group, Lakurawa, which has been terrorising their border communities.

Niger’s withdrawal from the Multinational Joint Task Force (MJTF) tackling the emerging regional threats also worsened regional stability.

Niger had been a key ally of the West in the fight against militant groups such as Islamic State and al-Qaida in the Sahel region.

The Director of Defence Media Operations, Maj. Gen. Edward Buba, had recently confirmed to journalists in Abuja that the new terror group emerged from the Republic of Niger after the military coup in that country had led to the breakdown of military cooperation between the Nigerian government and the new military leaders.

“The new terrorists began incursion into northern parts of Sokoto and Kebbi states from the Niger Republic and Mali axis, particularly after the coup in the Niger Republic. Before the coup, there were joint border operations with Nigerien security forces, which kept the terrorists at bay,” Buba had explained.

The revelation by the DHQ showed that the Nigerian government prioritised the ECOWAS resolution above the country’s internal security.

Many security analysts have argued that Nigeria, with her numerous security threats and porous borders, should have considered national interest before signing any resolutions with the other member-countries of ECOWAS to cut military ties with the Niger Republic.

The strained relations between the two countries led to mutual suspicions as the Nigerien Foreign Minister, Bakary Yaou Sangare, recently accused Nigeria of facilitating efforts to destabilise the junta-led nation, and summoned the chargé d’affaires at the Nigerian embassy in Niamey.

“Despite efforts to normalise relations, we regret that Nigeria has not given up on serving as a rear base for the destabilisation of Niger, with the complicity of some foreign powers and officials of the former regime, to whom it offers refuge,” Sangare said in a statement aired on national television.

Nigerien authorities specifically alleged that foreign security forces, including Nigerian security forces, aided the Lakurawa terrorist group, in the attack on the Niger-Benin oil pipeline in Gaya, Dosso Region of the country on December 13, 2024.

Niger has also continued to harbour the suspicion that Nigeria provided a military base for its former colonial master and estranged ally, after the French military base in Niger was sacked by the new junta.

Security analysts believe that President Tinubu’s recent week-long state visit to France and his warm reception by President Emmanuel Macron may have fuelled this suspicion.

However, the Nigerian government has since refuted the allegations, insisting that it remained committed to the fight against terrorism, and had not condoned the activities of a terrorism group.

A statement issued by the Acting Spokesperson, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kimiebi Ebienfa, also debunked the allegation that Nigerian security forces aided the Lakurawa terrorist group in the attack on the Niger-Benin oil pipeline.

The statement also clarified that there are no French military troops in the northern part of the country preparing to destabilise the Government of Niger.

In another statement issued last Thursday by the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, the federal government described Tchiani’s accusations as unfounded and a diversionary tactic aimed at covering his administration’s failures.

“These claims exist solely in the realm of imagination. Nigeria has never engaged in any alliance, overt or covert, with France—or any other country—to destabilise Niger Republic,” the statement said.

The minister specifically denied allegations that Nigeria had ceded parts of its territory to foreign powers or established terrorist bases in Sokoto State in collaboration with France.

“The claims about the establishment of a so-called Lakurawa terrorist headquarters in Sokoto State are baseless. Nigeria has been a regional leader in combating terrorism, dedicating significant resources and lives to ensure stability in the Lake Chad Basin and beyond,” the minister stated.

With the worsening insecurity across their countries’ borders, Abuja and Niamey should sustain the security cooperation they resumed in August.

The two countries should shun regional bloc’s sentiments and foreign influence and strengthen their security cooperation for their mutual benefits.

While Niger should be encouraged to rejoin the MJTF for regional security and stability, the two countries should prioritise their security and territorial integrity above the interest of any regional bloc, as well as foreign interest.

JagabanBorgu:
Countries are looking for profitable relationships, Nigerians are talking about relationship with a liability called Niger.
If not that the average Nigerian is so biased for tribal and religious reasons, I thought Buhari was àbûsed for "wasting public funds" on Niger?
He was criticized for the Maradi railway every single opportunity, today, same sentiments has blinded the average Nigerian and all of a sudden, Niger is now a country we should be pursuing peace with like a relationship with them has ever been profitable.

JagabanBorgu:
Countries are looking for profitable relationships, Nigerians are talking about relationship with a liability called Niger.
If not that the average Nigerian is so biased for tribal and religious reasons, I thought Buhari was àbûsed for "wasting public funds" on Niger?
He was criticized for the Maradi railway every single opportunity, today, same sentiments has blinded the average Nigerian and all of a sudden, Niger is now a country we should be pursuing peace with like a relationship with them has ever been profitable.

Masterstroke4:
De-Escalating Tensions Between Nigeria, Niger Republic .


https://www.thisdaylive.com/index.php/2024/12/29/de-escalating-tensions-between-nigeria-niger-republic/

kettykings:
I pity Francophone West Africa, but at the same time, I can't help but feel a bit of satisfaction. The very poison they carefully brewed and force-fed to Biafra has now become their daily meal. The so-called "vitamins" they administered to crush a nation without reason, mercy, or conscience are now coursing through their own veins.

This one no be coincidence—na slow, deliberate rollout of the merciless justice they administered to others. Nemesis doesn’t knock politely; it rips through the doors of those who sowed destruction, leaving nothing but the wreckage of their own making.

Every tear shed and every ounce of suffering endured by Biafra is now echoing big time.

The architects of Biafra’s downfall are now tasting the bitter harvest of their own medicine.

Good morning Niger Republic, Chad and Cameroon

9JAMac10:
Hahaha which is why I laugh when I see what anglophone Cameroon 🇨🇲 is going thru at the hands of their Francophone counterparts

BafanaBafana:
The same Niger that Tinubu wants to catch for France?Niger is seeking to break away from French imperialism while Tinubu is offering his bossom to France.
They can never work together. And trust me, the French are evil.

BafanaBafana:
The same Niger that Tinubu wants to catch for France?Niger is seeking to break away from French imperialism while Tinubu is offering his bossom to France.
They can never work together. And trust me, the French are evil.

wizdooarchy3:
We're all trying to defend Our country, but the truth question is DO WE REALLY TRUST OUR GOVERNMENT

You can't surety a lying servant.
APC is nothing but association of Lyers

TheWitchKing:
As this man way them call Tinubu enter power , him and all the ecowas nations that has been at peace before start to get issues. Chad , Mali, BF , Senegal , several other nations has abandoned the french nation, na e Tinubu see to go day Romance with. This one has proved that the Yoruba faction who voted him not only do not know anything but they are not as clever as I thought.
If the king of Morocco finally finds favor with this nations , it's over for Nigeria for good. Tinubu is no where near a tactical politician. If this is how he "built Lagos" then trust me, he built nothing.

kettykings:
May Nigeria never happen to you—because what is unfolding now among its West African brotherhood is a cautionary tale of betrayal at its most vicious.

Centuries ago, [/b]people sold their own kin into slavery for trinkets[b]; today, entire countries are stabbing each other in the back, auctioning off their so-called allies for crumbs.

The idea of African brotherhood has been reduced to a hollow chant, a meaningless phrase paraded around while nations sacrifice one another for temporary gains. What happened to solidarity? What happened to unity? These questions will demand answers soon, and when the reckoning comes, history will not be kind to those who traded loyalty for greed.

kettykings:
May Nigeria never happen to you—because what is unfolding now among its West African brotherhood is a cautionary tale of betrayal at its most vicious.

Centuries ago, people sold their own kin into slavery for trinkets; today, entire countries are stabbing each other in the back, auctioning off their so-called allies for crumbs.

The idea of African brotherhood has been reduced to a hollow chant, a meaningless phrase paraded around while nations sacrifice one another for temporary gains. What happened to solidarity? What happened to unity? These questions will demand answers soon, and when the reckoning comes, history will not be kind to those who traded loyalty for greed.

Mathewrichard99:
You are saying trash. Ethnicity will kill you and your ancestors.

Tribalism will be your nightmare even in the day. See your rubbish contribution.

What's Yoruba got to do with Ecowas or voting of Tinubu?

Okoro Nwanta (Igbos) voted Obi, Yoruba as well voted Tinubu and luckily for them Yoruba man won the election. So wetin happen now, idiot.....

Stupid soul like you always coming here to castigate and say nonsense from that your filthy smelling mouth about Yoruba.

Face the government of the day if you ain't a coward like we always know your stocks are and pass your anger instead of always coming here to dispense your stupid hatred for Yorubas.

You should know the way to Abuja atleast, go there and display your stupidity instead of abusing a whole tribe for the alleged hatred you have towards just one person or even many.

Conclusively, stop telling us you a bastard here on Nairaland.

JagabanBorgu:
Countries are looking for profitable relationships, Nigerians are talking about relationship with a liability called Niger.
If not that the average Nigerian is so biased for tribal and religious reasons, I thought Buhari was àbûsed for "wasting public funds" on Niger?
He was criticized for the Maradi railway every single opportunity, today, same sentiments has blinded the average Nigerian and all of a sudden, Niger is now a country we should be pursuing peace with like a relationship with them has ever been profitable.

Jayhome24:
This Niger Junta is in pain very severe pain. How dare a landlocked country daring other ECOWAS countries with free access to everything is that not madness?

The sanction on his country don dey hit him badly I thnk he said Russia is their messiah pls he should called Putin to be flying foods and other things they needed as a country to them via cargo pane and let's see how far but sorry our land border and other ECOWAS land borders remains closed indefinitely against Niger, Mali and Burkina let them go to Russia for help.

Moreso since we blocked our oil father Christmas against his country that alone enraged him badly pls Mr Junta, Russia have plenty oil call Putin to bring free oil for your country from Russia but sorry no more stolen or free oil for your country again.