New regime in Niger recalls envoy from Ivory Coast
Niger’s new military government has recalled the country’s ambassador to the Ivory Coast, citing “threatening remarks” by Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara, who they claim “has advocated” armed action to return Niamey’s pre-coup leadership.
The leaders of last month's coup in Niger said in a statement on Monday that Ouattara’s “eagerness” for his troops to militarily intervene in order to free detained President Mohamed Bazoum shows a “relentless desire to destroy the country and its people.”
Last week, the Ivorian leader called the July 26 coup and Bazoum’s detention “terrorist” acts, adding that his country would join Nigeria and Benin in providing troops for a mission fronted by the 15-nation Economic Community of West African States, or ECOWAS.
Ouattara made the remark last week following an ECOWAS summit in Nigeria, where the bloc’s leaders decided to convene a standby force for possible intervention in neighboring Niger.
He told reporters in Abuja that a military operation to restore constitutional order in Niamey should begin “as soon as possible,” indicating his country’s readiness to contribute between 850 and 1,100 troops to an ECOWAS mission.
A spokesperson for Niger’s new military rulers, Amadou Abdramane, “totally” rejected Ouattara’s remarks on Monday, saying the leader’s willingness to “carry out this aggression” against Niger is “illegal in all respects, and senseless.”
“[This] reflects an injunction addressed to him and to some of his ECOWAS peers by other external powers with the aim of preserving interests that no longer correspond to those of Niger today,” Abdramane stated, hinting at meddling from beyond the ECOWAS region.
At a summit last week West African leaders reiterated their preference for a diplomatic solution but noted that military intervention remains an option, due to the coup leaders' “defiant” posture.
Niger’s military rulers announced on Sunday that they would charge ousted President Bazoum with “high treason” for his engagement with foreign governments and international organizations.
ECOWAS leaders condemned the move on Monday, calling it another form of provocation that “contradicts the reported willingness of the military authorities … [to] restore constitutional order through peaceful means.”
