₦airaland Forum

ECOWAS has failed to thwart coups in your neighborhood. What makes this moment different?


There are many differences, but number one is that the coup in Niger has no justification whatsoever. The [junta’s] claim of deteriorating security is false. Security in Niger has been improving. And for the last two years, it has been better than any time before in the last six or seven years. There was no political tension. Opposition and majority leaders discuss in parliament; debate was happening. Even if you compare this moment to the history of earlier coups in Niger, this one has no basis nor justification.
If Niger falls, if you go from democracy to dictatorship, like in the two neighboring countries, it means Niger will go under the control of Wagner. The whole central Sahel will be under Wagner. What will then happen is that the Islamist militants will have it very easy to go directly and attack the coastal West African country. So that will destabilize the whole region, from the Sahara to the Gulf of Benin. From Libya to the coast, you will have no real states. That’s what is at stake. Realizing that, ECOWAS has been strong. [Nigerian President Bola Ahmed] Tinubu has been clear and loud that we will no longer tolerate any sort coup against a democratically elected government. So that is now a test for ECOWAS.

What role did the neighboring juntas have in encouraging or inspiring the coup in Niger?

I’m based in Washington and I have no clue about these kinds of things, but the indications we have, the way [the Malian and Burkinabe juntas] talk, it’s clear that they would love to have in Niger a regime that looks like theirs, which means no respect for human rights, no respect for democracy, no respect for anything else than their own interests to call mercenaries for their own safety. They left control of parts of their territory to the Islamist militants, and they use mostly mercenaries to protect themselves and these mercenaries are paying themselves by stealing natural resources. We don’t want that for our country. We are close to the West. We share values. We share democracy, and we want to be ruled by people who we have been voted in ourselves.

Niger envoy to the USA.

There are almost daily scenes of pro-coup demonstrators in Niamey waving Russian flags and shouting anti-French slogans. What should we make of that?

I would not over-interpret it. Nowhere is demonstration a substitute for elections. You may organize a huge demonstration, but in the balance, you are not ahead. That is not a legitimate way to go to power. When it comes to the Russian flag, most of those who are taking it wouldn’t be able to locate Russia on a map.
Personally, I don’t believe there is huge anti-French sentiment. Forty percent of people in my country live with less than $2 a day. I really don’t think that these people are concerned with who is our international partner. Some of the young people now claiming to be “Pan-African” and anti-France have no clue about France, don’t even know what it is. Simply the social media itself, the digital era, made it easier to make a lot of noise out of very tiny things. So, yes, in urban cities, some young people — because they are desperate, because they are looking for someone to blame for the problem they’re facing — they get manipulated by rhetoric. But it’s not really an indication of something deep and wide.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/08/04/niger-ecowas-ambassador-interview-niamey/

GeneralDae:
What say you about Niger? Should we send troops or just let it slide again due to conspiracy theories flying around of being Western puppets?

Invade, the juntas will fold definitely.

They shouldn’t have kept the president alive, they doomed themselves to an invasion when they made that decision.

Let’s go

Segedinho:
The masses will suffer most in both sanctions and invasion.

I believe there would be more damages done to the masses than d coupist if it degenerates to full blown war....and the displaced president might be killed in the process

We will not have anything to worry about here but for war there definitely be lost of lives and properties

Now, this is a sensible post.

The masses will suffer both in sanctions and invasions.

The threat of force have to be on the table during negotiations, but it is a last resort.

The junta must be made to know that there are fractures within their rank.

And disagreement can also be created.

A40:
Walahi you're a dolt!!

You want to fight the people that have been helping you crush the terrorism you have been battling with over a decade, instead of economic sanctions, you want to lead a struggling country into a potentially expensive battle.

What if they kill Bazoum. What happens next?

Shithouse! You don't think. You still believe we are against this war as a slight to BAT. Are you ret@rded or what? It's because we know starting chaos is easy ending it is the problem

A whole Putin entered broke Ukraine and over a year and a half is still stuck in a war of attrition. Is that what you want? What do you think happens if this 'intervention' is unsuccessful. Do you know how many Nigerien refugees will be at your door step. Heaven forbid they push us back and enter our country

But you don't care. Do you? You have no skin in the game.

Except your statements are full of contradictions.

There’s a reason I gave you that article to read, I can’t be debating with you, when the point you are making either doesn’t make any sense or contradict each other

A40:
The more pressing question you should be asking yourself is why are the Coups happening?

Weak and compromised leadership is the reason.

My own is for relative peace to be in existence. Cameroon have had a puppet of the west for about 40 years so I don't see the issue

Eyadema died, the son bounced the vice and took over and has been in power 18 years. Is it Deby of Chad who ruled 30 years and now his son is in charge.

You people keep supporting this peak fooling una dey call democracy.

Niger cannot be more unstable than it has been for the past 40 years. Nobody used excuse to invade us when we were going through our problems so why are you adamant on invading another country?

You're not more supportive than other Nigerians that realize the financial and physical burden a potential war can bring to the region.

I don't understand your excitement for it. You're not a troop, not a Northerner, you're not even a Nigerien. You don't really have skin in the game

It will be better for everyone if you read up on the coup and everything about it.

Stop giving gba Takes.

You don’t even know where you stand.

Read this, it will help you to atleast understand what is going on.

https://sahelblog./2023/08/03/thoughts-on-nigers-coup-at-the-domestic-level-proximate-triggers-structural-causes-and-some-ramifications/

izzou:
[color=royalblue]The image below is a proof that Majority of Nigerians love Tinubu and wanted him as president.

I hope you agree with me.[/color]

😂

Segedinho:
Sanction them in all capacities and let them enjoy/suffers the change of gov .....

Dialogue with other democratic country to do thesame with a promise of going back "if" they return to democracy...

Give me an example of where that has worked in the past 20 years.

You believe the juntas gives a shi*t what happen to their people.

OasisX:


....I am glad ECOWAS ain't gonna back down on military intervention if other options failed.

You guys are free to migrate to Niger and join their vigillantes to defend the Coupists. Afterall, Nigerian and Nigerien sound almost alike.

Lol.

The francophone were never going to back down.

Ivory Coast and Senegal expecially.

That’s why I’m happy Nigeria took the bull by the horn, I’m also delighted that France is being edged out of the region.

I never really liked the hold the French have on the region.

News that delight me.

A40:
Wetin consign us with Libya? Are we part of Arab League? I don't understand what you mean by passive approach. You're invading another man's land talmbout passive approach.

Niger had change in rule, they didn't say you should invade their country. They have not done anything that gives you right to invade and violate their territorial integrity and any negative backlash we get from this will be 100% deserved

Nope.

Niger did not have a change of rule, their leader was kidnapped.

A40:
How does someone not supporting military invasion in a sovereign country that has not invaded anybody signify hate for Tinubu

On the contrary your blind support for Tinubu is what we should be questioning here. Wars are expensive and the implications involve loss of lives. This is the 4th coup in quick succession. What is so special about this one that requires immediate intervention.

Amazingly, one of the answers is in your statement.

The 4th coup in quick succession, if nothing is done expect the 5th, 6th till the whole region falls under a puppet regime of a private military company.

Nope, I have an unwaveringly support for my country, and unlike you, I understand just the implications of having an unstable regime in Niger will cause Nigeria.

The world doesn’t exist in isolation, there’s a reason why every sane country is invested in what happen to their neighbours.

izzou:
[color=royalblue]My first grouse with people's opinion is how we have turn this to a Nigerian and Tinubu issue.

Firstly, it is not a Nigerian issue. It is an ECOWAS issue. The Nigerian president is the president of ECOWAS, so we the citizens should at least be able to separate powers here.

Niger Republic is part of ECOWAS, and ECOWAS has a duty and responsibility to its members. This thing is very simple to understand.

How you guys always turn it to Tinubu trying to show his ego is very amusing and appalling at the same time.[/color]

Tinubu hate don cloud their senses.

They can’t reason properly anymore, most of them are happy that they are calling Tinubu Ebola in Niger, they don’t even realize that it’s the juntas feeling the pressure, I expect more anti Tinubu protest in the coming days😂.

If I’m part of the juntas it’s what I’ll do.

Emaprince:
The audacity for a supporter of a mandate thief to label another a mandate thief. Kettle calling pot black.

Bode george, another emergency lover of Niger.

https://www.nairaland.com/7791226/niger-careful-dont-start-what

Nobody takes Bose George seriously, not even his own party.

OasisX:


....where Ẹ̀gbọ́n reads Nigeria have 300k Refugees in Niger sef?

Twitter influencers😁

Segedinho:
Your "1" is an absolute joke and you know it..

Who is the "mandate thief" ...do you think I reject Tinubu as my president?...i wanted Obi doesn't change anything.

3)A "disgrunted people" cry can easily be spotted.......we as Nigerians seems more disgruntled with our leaders than even d cry they had for millinery rule....



Have d 300k plus Nigerians leaving in Niger been evacuatedor are we going to tagged them collateral damage

1. Not my fault if you lack simple comprehension
ability.

2. The Niger juntas are the mandate thief or it didn’t occur to you that by seizing power through the barrel of the gun they are stealing the mandate of the president?

3. How will it be spotted? You live in Niger? Or you have super sight?

All the image you are seeing from Niger are what the Juntas are putting out.

If they are so loved by the people why did they shut down social media?

GloriousGbola:
For the last one year we heard different people cursing Buhari for being a dictator masquerading as a Democrat. Now the same people are celebrating military rule.

Lekki massacre, banning twitter are child's play in a military dictatorship. And as shaytun has pointed out, all those so called celebrations mean nothing. Those are just psy ops to give the regime a false veneer of legitimacy. Have we not lived through this and more as Nigerians? Did we not see youth earnestly asking for abacha? Do we not see rented crowds for every political persuasion?

Some people really need psychological evaluation.

How you will hate your own country, and look for ways to undermine it just because of your hate for Tinubu boggles the mind.

Segedinho:
Is anyone celebrating d coup or clapping for d military rule??

The nitty gritty of our discussion was/is war.............

As a sovereign nation,d people/system defines the kind of leader favourable to them .

If democracy has relegated them to d barest and would want to try monarchy or military rulers then it is their right....

So far,I haven't "seen cry for help" tags from d said people that would warrant extreme pressure from the world at large...

Nigeria herself have got extreme mini-wars within herself that even warrant external solutions but alas they want to add more...


Russia was supposed to crush Ukraine within hours but the outcome has surpased expectations....

War will always brings causalities in both sides,why risk this for ego sake

You are celebrating the coup.

It’s not a war, it’s an intervention.

A democratically elected president, chosen by the good people of Niger to serve a Four year term rule has been taken hostage by a disgruntled head of the presidential guard.

How will you see tag when the military junta have already banned the internet?

Are you even following this development, or just feeding on what Twitter influencers have been feeding you?

There have been massive protest from the Nigerien diaspora in other countries.

Let me remind you again, maybe you keep forgetting this important fact, the first protest that broke out following the coup was an anti-coup protest, but they were shot at and have been unable to come out in Niamey since then.

That’s because I’m your tiny mind and your hate for Tinubu, you actually believe this is for ego sake.

Segedinho:
I didn't get d "1"msg.

2)Is there any coup that doesn't involve force?...this is a successful bloodless coup with no casualty whatsoever...

3)where everyone happy with d kinda corrupt democracy they had earlier?do you think a coup will have materialise if the politicians were up and doing

4)Stability or satisfactionmust they embrace a fruitless democracy wch has relegated Africa to d most clueless and corrupt continent in d world..


You didn't talk about d menace d war will bring ....also you ignored d about 300k Nigeria refugees we have got there....


Don't forget.. .as a today...there are about 3 countries under military rule in thesame ecowas

1. Those who want democracy in Niger will fund the intervention.

2. So you are supporting a mandate thief?😃 interesting.

3. And who should decide what they embrace? The people themselves or a disgruntled presidential guard?

OasisX:


Eazzzzyyy bruhhh.

You think I’m joking?

The first video shows a massive protest supporting Laurent gbagbo. All this protest you are seeing are majorly sponsored.


Second video shows when he was busted like a common thief .


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQcDmFm5e-Y&feature=youtu.be



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9tR7keaqmA&feature=youtu.be

Segedinho:
Lols....

Sentiment aside....
1)We are assumed to be too broke to take some major decisions or put forward some reasonable developments.......which country do you think would sponsor this "impeding war"


2)We have got major internal crisis that warrant some smart/aggressive handling and you think evading Niger will no add to this?

3) you have seen Nigeriens displays some level of satisfaction thru protests and "eBOLA mockery" and you think invading them all in d name of useless democracy would be ideal?

4)What is our interest in d war.....what would be the positive outcome invading a sovereign country who posed no threat whatsoever to you.....

I learnt we have got almost 300k refugees in Niger...what would be their fate ??cos

1. “Interest” that want to entrench democracy in Niger will fund the war.

2. That ship has sailed the moment the Niger Juntas forcefully remove a democratically elected president.

3. You believe all nigeriens support the military? You’ve been looking from the wrong perspectives, they have been major anti-coup protest also.

4. Our interest is stability, which you can never have if the coup is allowed to stand.

You think if Nigerian hadn’t reacted, other countries wouldn’t?

You believe Nigeria should have taken a passive approach and let other countries dictate what happens in our backyard.

We are still reeling from the impact of Libya situation because we adopted a passive approach decades later.

OasisX:


....they are roasting Okupe like Bọli on X app now.

Lmao.

It’s to be expected, some people are not emotionally mature to handle election loss.

There are some American handle I follow that wish American downfall because Trump lost his election almost 4 years ago.

OasisX:


....you know the funniest thing, had Tinubu ignored to take action on the matter, you would have seen them shouting; Tinubu has no balls. He is weak, a Puppet to Russia already.

He is protecting Buhari looted money in Niger, hence he can't dare to attack them....bla bla bla. So many nonsense would have littred this space garbaged in from X app and WhatsApp.

Lmao, ignorant people with ignorant take.

Don’t understand the concept of carrot and stick, have no knowledge of what diplomacy even means.

The context of “talking softly and waking with a big stick” will fly over their head.

They think a man who staged a coup because he was about to be sacked and having tasted power is just going to hand over power like that without threat😂

Laurent Gbagbo of ivory cost did more than this in 2012, he was bundled out of the presidential palace weeping like a kid.

Segedinho:
Yeah,I couldn't find it anymore but there was a link from the poster I lifted it from.........


I tried George weah on twitter's search and the result from numerous posts was, he made d statement in 2021 but no link though.....

If I can get d 1 with link on d said statement...I would call ur attention.

Lmao😂

Lmao, Make Nigeria fold his hand dey look as Wagner group set up shop in its neighbourhood.


Some of you should not been giving takes on foreign affairs I swear.

Emergency lovers of Niger republic, this love was not visible when Buhari was approving rail construction to maradi.

Better don’t let your hate for the president pass over to the country. You hate Tinubu doesn’t mean you should hate Nigeria.

OasisX:


I have been waiting for my good Ẹ̀gbọ́n to share the "unavailable" link, so I can counter it with verifiable fact.

Wear is sending troops, he has assured ECOWAS already and his CDS is taking part in the Meetings.

Man😂, the level of misinformation on Twitter ehn.

Pro-Russia account have suddenly abandoned their ongoing war in Ukraine to focus on Niger, I’m sure most of them could not even locate the country on the map.

I’ve been amusing my self reading their half baked submissions considering that many at of them are still confusing Niger republic with Nigeria.😂😂

Segedinho:
I am trying to get the link I got it from.......

from twitter......

Wait for some mins

Don’t stress yourself bro, it doesn’t exist.

The effect of propaganda I’m talking about.

This is an official statement from the Liberian presidency, condemning the coup and adopting the ecowas stance.

https://allafrica.com/stories/202307290261.html

Segedinho:
Shared as seen...........


Verification can be done here too....

You mean you couldn’t be bothered to even try and verify what you are sharing.

Whatever is passed to you, you pass it out like that.

Garbage in Garbage out.

Segedinho:

Lmao.

Always sharing fake news quotes.

Atleast sometime try to verify things yeah?

OasisX:


Oooin....Justice for Shetty. She's a Technocrat. PBAT is wicked, coz why removing her ffs!

Confirm depression.

Imagine already celebrating being nominated.

That was cruel.