Niger accuses France of deploying troops, equipment in ECOWAS states for military intervention

Niger’s junta has accused France of deploying troops in several West African countries in preparation for a military intervention in Niger, as experts warn the series of coups in the region are putting the unity and capability of the regional grouping ECOWAS to the test.

The junta repeated its call on Sunday (10 September) for the departure of French troops from Niger — a major source of tension between the one-time allies since the overthrow of president Mohamed Bazoum on 26 July. The statement appealed to “national and international opinion to witness the consequences of this aggressive, underhanded and contemptuous attitude adopted by France.”

Relations between Niger and its former colonizer France have soured since Paris declared the junta illegitimate, with French President Emmanuel Macron saying that his country does “not recognize any legitimacy in the statements of the putschists.” Regarding the 1,500 French troops stationed in Niger, Macron said any decision on their deployment would be made only in co-ordination with Bazoum.

Against the backdrop of fervent anti-French sentiment, the Niger junta followed the strategy of coup leaders in neighboring Mali and Burkina Faso in seeking to cut long-standing military ties with France. Macron did not directly address the allegation that France is deploying troops elsewhere in West Africa to back ECOWAS countries’ proposal to use force as a last resort to restore democracy.

Meanwhile, as Burkina Faso, Guinea, Mali and Niger have joined forces to resist economic sanctions and potential military action by the ECOWAS, this is proving to be challenging for the other 11 member states in the West Africa’s regional bloc. “This series of coups, if you like, is a really serious blow to what had been ECOWAS’s greatest strength,” says Paul Melly, a consulting fellow of the Africa Program at Chatham House. “And the fact that the military regimes are defying the long-established ECOWAS tradition of collaboration in setting governance rules and in managing crises is a real threat a real challenge to the region’s unity.”