By Enyichukwu Enemanna
The United Kingdom Foreign Secretary, James Cleverly, on Wednesday met with the Chairman of ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, President Bola Tinubu, where he expressed UK’s support on the position of the bloc on military coup in Niger Republic last week.
President of Niger, Mohamed Bazoum had been ousted by the presidential guards unit of the army, and the unit head, General Abdourahamane Tchiani declared himself the country’s leader, a coup ECOWAS and its western allies has since denounced, calling for immediate restoration of democratic structure.
ECOWAS after a meeting on Sunday in Abuja issued a 7-day ultimatum for reinstatement of Bazoum, warning that there could be a military action if this is not adhered.
“We touched briefly on the situation in Niger. I made the point that the UK very much welcomes ECOWAS’ and his (Tinubu’s) indeed decisive action, his strong commitment to democracy and the unambiguous message that violence is not the means to bring political change in any circumstance.
“And that the commitment to democracy in Nigeria and the region is unwavering,” Cleverly told reporters on Wednesday in Abuja, after meeting with Tinubu, Nigerian President.
ECOWAS leaders say they recognise Bazoum as the legitimate President, expressing readiness to explore “all measures necessary” to restore democratic governance in Niger, including “the use of force.”
“Such measures may include the use of force. To this effect, the Chiefs of Defence Staff of ECOWAS are to meet immediately,” President of the ECOWAS Commission, Omar Touray, said when he read the communique at the end of the Extraordinary Summit in Abuja.
ECOWAS Authority at the Abuja Summit followed the seven-day ultimatum with an immediate sanctions on Niger, including the closure of land and air borders between member-states and Niger.
The bloc further imposed a no-fly zone on all commercial flights to and from Niger and suspended all commercial and financial transactions between ECOWAS Member States and Niger.
“This very much support the UK’s position.
“We wish to see peace and democracy restored in Niger.
“And we will, of course, continue to liaise with our strong friends in the region, membership of ECOWAS, of course, including Nigeria, as we seek to bring about stability, peace and democracy to Niger,” Cleverly said, citing the position of ECOWAS.
Cleverly is on a 3-nation tour to Africa, which started on Monday with Ghana. He touched Lagos, Nigeria, on Tuesday, where he announced UK’s support to boost agriculture and food security in Nigeria.
He would round up the tour in Zambia on Thursday.
