In a joint press conference with the Deputy Secretary General of the Government and Government Spokesperson, Wilfried Léandre Houngbedji, on Friday, August 4, 2023, in Cotonou, the Beninese Minister of Foreign Affairs, Olushegun Adjadi Bakari, declared that “all the ECOWAS is asking for is the reinstatement of President Bazoum in his functions as President of the Republic of Niger.”
After his intervention on RFI’s airwaves the day before, the Benin Minister of Foreign Affairs, Olushegun Adjadi Bakari, returned on Friday to discuss the socio-political situation in Niger, during a press conference jointly held with the Government Spokesperson, Wilfried Léandre Houngbedji.
Just like in his previous statements, the head of Beninese diplomacy reaffirmed that ECOWAS is doing everything possible to achieve a peaceful resolution of the Nigerien crisis, adding that the use of force is the last option on the sub-regional organization’s table. Olushegun Adjadi Bakari also emphasized that “President Bazoum is the democratically elected President of Niger and is the only one recognized by ECOWAS, the African Union, and the entire international community.”
Reinstalling President Bazoum “All ECOWAS is asking for is the reinstatement of President Bazoum in his functions as President of the Republic of Niger. Today, he is prevented from exercising the mandate for which he was democratically elected by the Nigerien people. The position of ECOWAS, which Benin subscribes to, is that President Bazoum should be reinstated,” stated the Beninese diplomat. “This is not about an exfiltration operation; it is about reinstating President Bazoum to his functions,” explained Shegun Bakari.
Why do we hold elections? “If the army should decide who the President of the Republic is, then why do we hold elections?” questioned Mr. Bakari, who reminded that the army is part of the people. “The defense forces also vote during the presidential elections, and the majority of the Nigerien people decided at the ballot box that President Bazoum is the one who will lead the country for 5 years. The army is part of the people; we must respect the decisions of the people.”
“We cannot consider that our countries are governed by militaryocracies. No, we are in a democracy, and in democracy, people vote to elect the President of the Republic, and the defense and security forces are there to protect the democratic power, not to exercise it. Today, the only thing to remember is that the President of Niger recognized by ECOWAS and the international community is President Bazoum, who is currently being held hostage, and what we want is for him to be reinstated to his position as President of Niger.”
Olushegun Adjadi Bakari The inevitable ECOWAS military intervention in Niger? The ECOWAS delegation that came to Niamey to obtain a “friendly” return to constitutional order cut short its stay. According to RFI, “it did not even leave the airport where it met with a member of the junta, General Moussa S. Barmou, who rejected ECOWAS’ decisions.”
As we are less than 48 hours away from the end of ECOWAS’ ultimatum, it unfortunately seems that the negotiations undertaken are still struggling to produce the expected results. This increasingly raises the question of ECOWAS’ last card, which is the use of force. But at what cost? The question remains.
