The government of Sierra Leone asserts that it will respect any decision made by ECOWAS regarding Niger. Meanwhile, the country’s high military hierarchy has clarified that President Julius Maada Bio will ultimately decide whether to deploy the personnel of the Armed Forces to Niger or not.
Cherno Bah, Sierra Leone’s Minister of Information, conveyed the country’s stance towards the solutions proposed by ECOWAS for restoring constitutional order in Niger. Last Tuesday, the ManoReporters newspaper reported that Minister Bah stated during a government’s weekly press conference in Freetown, shortly before the second extraordinary ECOWAS Congress, that “the decision of ECOWAS was made unanimously in a meeting in which Sierra Leone was present,… and as a member of ECOWAS, we respect ECOWAS’ decisions and conclusions.”
Furthermore, he emphasized that his country is morally obligated to contribute forces to the sub-regional force, as it had previously benefited from an ECOWAS intervention to end the war and restore the government of President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah after his overthrow in a coup in 1997. Additionally, the Minister highlighted that Sierra Leone has long committed to contributing soldiers to ECOWAS’ standing force. This commitment remains unchanged, and the nation will have the capacity to provide a military force ranging from 100 to 300 individuals.
Lastly, Major General Peter Kakowou Lavahun, Chief of Staff of Sierra Leone’s Army, stated during a meeting of the Chiefs of Staff of ECOWAS member countries in Abuja that the decision to deploy the personnel of Sierra Leone’s Armed Forces to Niger is entirely political and exclusively rests with President Julius Maada Bio.
