Former Kaduna governor Nasir el-Rufai has warned the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) against military action in Niger Republic.
President Bola Tinubu, chairperson of ECOWAS, stated that if the coup leaders in Niger do not hand over authority to ousted President Mohamed Bazoum, the bloc will use force as a last resort.
Following a meeting of the bloc’s defense leaders in Accra, Ghana’s capital city, last Thursday, ECOWAS announced the activation of its standby force in Niger.
Although the defense chiefs supported calls for dialogue as a kind of mediation, the group stated that all elements of any military involvement had been worked out and were being improved.
This included the timing, resources required, and how, where, and on what day such force would be deployed.
El-Rufai stated in a tweet on Tuesday that a conflict within the sub-region would be a battle between brothers.
“As ECOWAS beats the drums of war, I recall the 1970s rock classic by Dire Straits – ‘Brothers in Arms’, because a war within our sub region is a war between brothers,” el-Rufai tweeted.
“Indeed, the people of Niger Republic are one and the same with those living in Northern Nigeria. Let us bend over backwards to avoid this civil war between brothers.”
El-Rufai’s call to avoid military intervention in Niger is the latest from stakeholders in Nigeria’s northern region.
The Northern Senators Forum (NSF) had also asked Tinubu to exhaust all diplomatic means in resolving the crisis.
The forum warned that deploying Nigerian troops to the Niger Republic will hurt seven northern states — Sokoto, Kebbi, Katsina, Zamfara, Jigawa, Yobe and Borno — who share borders with the landlocked West African nation.
Shortly after their warning, Tinubu met with governors of five of the states as part of his wider consultations on how best to address the situation.
