War is unnecessary, but Niger junta informs ECOWAS that it is prepared to defend itself

Gen. Abdourahamane Tchiani, the head of the junta that took control of the Niger Republic on Saturday, declared that while his nation does not desire war, it will be prepared to defend itself in the event that it is required.

The Al Jazeera network cited Tchiani as saying, “Neither the army nor the people of Niger want war, but we will resist any manifestation of it.”

The Economic Community of West African States’ member nations, he said, are unaware that the Niger is now essential to keeping the region from destabilising in the face of an uptick in terrorist activities.

Tchiani continued by saying that rather than finding a way to resolve the current issue, the sanctions placed against his nation were intended to put pressure on the rebels.

Furthermore, according to Tchiani, rebels are more interested in finding a solution that serves the needs of the populace than in seizing control of the nation.

The deposed president Mohamed Bazoum was met by an ECOWAS delegation on Saturday to discuss the circumstances surrounding his arrest, according to reports in the media.

The delegation also spoke with Tchiani, according to Reuters’ account from later in the day.

On July 26, Niger saw a coup, and Bazoum was overthrown and imprisoned by Tchiani’s own guard.

Following the coup, ECOWAS froze the assets of the rebels, banned all financial help to Niger, and prohibited commercial flights into and out of the nation.

Early in August, at a summit in Abuja, Nigeria, the leaders of ECOWAS decided to mobilise a standby force to perhaps persuade the Nigerien military to reinstate Bazoum.

The chiefs of the ECOWAS general staff decided on a start date for the military intervention on Friday, but they would not make it public, according to ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs Abdel-Fatau Musah.