Blinken’s statement came after ECOWAS ordered the activation of a standby force for possible use against the junta…reports Asian Lite News
Secretary of State Antony Blinken called Thursday for a peaceful solution to reverse Niger’s coup and called on the junta that seized power last month to ensure the safety and security of President Bazoum, his family, and detained members of the government.
“The United States joins the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in calling for the restoration of constitutional order in Niger,” Blinken said in a statement released by the US State Department.
Blinken’s statement came after the West African bloc ECOWAS on Thursday ordered the activation of a standby force for possible use against the junta. ECOWAS said it wanted a peaceful restoration of democracy but all options including force were on the table.
He added that the US appreciates the determination of ECOWAS to explore all options for the peaceful resolution of the crisis.”
“ECOWAS, an organization that brings together West African countries, is playing a key role in making clear the imperative of a return to constitutional order, and we very much support ECOWAS’ leadership and work on this,” he told a news conference alongside his Mexican counterpart.
At a summit in Abuja, the West African bloc supported a standby military force for Niger, whose military on July 26 toppled elected president Mohamed Bazoum.
Blinken said the United States and ECOWAS were united in demanding the safety of Bazoum, to whom he said he has spoken half a dozen times since the takeover.
“Like ECOWAS, the United States will hold the Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland accountable for the safety and security of President Bazoum, his family, and detained members of the government,” he said in the statement, referring to Niger’s military leaders.
Niger’s Prime Minister Ouhoumoudou Mahamadou recently said that Bazoum was being held with his wife and son without electricity or water.
The threat of an invasion, though not specific, raises tensions in and around Niger, a uranium producer that until the coup was an important ally of the West in the fight against Islamist insurgents devastating the Sahel region.
The junta, which seized power on July 26, had defied an Aug. 6 deadline to stand down set by ECOWAS, instead closing Niger’s airspace and vowing to defend the country against any foreign attack.
The bloc pledged to enforce sanctions, travel bans and asset freezes on those preventing the return to power of Bazoum.
ECOWAS orders activation of standby force
Meanwhile, West African leaders on Thursday ordered the “immediate activation” and the “deployment” of a regional standby force to restore constitutional order in the coup-hit Niger, CNN reported.
Leaders from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) held a meeting in Nigeria’s Abuja after the expiration of the one-week ultimatum they gave to Niger’s military junta. ECOWAS leaders called for a deployment “to restore constitutional order in the Republic of Niger,” Omar Alieu Touray, President of the ECOWAS Commission, said in a statement.
The statement stressed a “determination to keep all options on the table for the peaceful resolution of the crisis,” according to CNN. Niger has been engulfed in political chaos since July after Niger’s President Mohamed Bazoum was ousted in a coup d’etat by the presidential guard.
After the coup, ECOWAS announced sanctions and issued an ultimatum to Niger’s ruling military junta: stand down within a week or face a potential military intervention. The deadline on August 6 expired without any change in the political situation. ECOWAS leaders have said their preference is to find a diplomatic solution to the situation and would dispatch troops as a last resort.
The regional bloc will “uphold all measures and principles” agreed upon by the extraordinary summit held on Niger in July, according to CNN report. Enacting strong sanctions against Niger’s military junta were decided in the summit.
Omar Alieu Touray warned of consequences for member states who by their action directly or indirectly obstructed the peaceful resolution of the crisis, CNN reported. Mali and Burkina Faso, led by soldiers who seized power, have expressed solidarity with Niger’s junta.
The two West African nations said that any military intervention would be seen as a declaration of war. Meanwhile, Guinea has also expressed support for Niger.
Earlier this week, Niger’s coup leaders closed the country’s airspace after rejecting an ultimatum from West African states to reinstate Niger President Mohamed Bazoum or risk military intervention, Al Jazeera reported.
The move announced late on Sunday, came as tens of thousands of coup supporters gathered at a stadium in Niger’s capital, Niamey, to cheer on the generals who seized power – or the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland (CNSP).
Amadou Abdramane, a spokesman for the CNSP, cited the ECOWAS’ military intervention threat for the airspace closure, as per the Al Jazeera report. Abdramane said in a statement read out on national television, that there had been a pre-deployment of forces in two Central African countries in preparation for intervention. However, he did not share details.