Commissioner Political Affairs, Peace & Security of the Economic Community of West African State (ECOWAS), Ambassador Abdel-Fatau Musah, has condemned reports suggesting that the bloc is working on the orders of foreign influence in its handling of the Niger coup.
Ambassador Abdel-Fatau Musah noted that there has been no external force compelling ECOWAS to take a stance on the matter.
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has indicated that a significant number of its member nations are prepared to engage in a standby force, which could potentially intervene in Niger following a coup that transpired there at the end of the previous month.
There have been reports that the United States, France and Russia are meddling in the ECOWAS-Niger coup brouhaha, but nothing substantial has been provided.
According to Ambassador Abdel-Fatau Musah, such news is “fake”.
“Did the France or US or anybody script our protocol for us? We have the capacity to go in,” he said.
He noted that “those who are talking about ECOWAS being teleguided by the West are those who are promoting Russia. The same people are those who see Russians as saviors.”
He therefore quizzed “when will Africa find saviours among themselves?”
Ambassador Abdel-Fatau Musah indicated that Africa cannot always look for external partners, either China, America, Russia and others.
“When are we going to project our own agency. That’s the problem. Since the 19960s, Africa has always been an arena for proxy war between the soveigt union, China on one side and the West. Today, we are in multipolar environment and we are running around from the frying pan to the fire.
“All those who have Africa at heart should try to generate internal resistance to all these and not to oppose one and be welcoming,” he encouraged.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has conveyed to the BBC that Russia’s Wagner mercenary group is capitalizing on the prevailing instability in Niger. He noted that the junta has taken control of the country after the removal of President Mohamed Bazoum nearly a fortnight ago.
Amid circulating speculations that the coup leaders sought assistance from the Wagner group, which is known to be active in nearby Mali, Blinken emphasized that he doesn’t believe Russia or Wagner initiated the coup in Niger.
Nonetheless, he expressed concern about the potential emergence of the Wagner group in various parts of the Sahel region, emphasizing that the United States is closely monitoring the situation.
“I think what happened, and what continues to happen in Niger was not instigated by Russia or by Wagner, but… they tried to take advantage of it.
“Every single place that this Wagner group has gone, death, destruction and exploitation have followed,” said Mr Blinken.
“Insecurity has gone up, not down”.
He added that there was a “repeat of what’s happened in other countries, where they brought nothing but bad things in their wake”.