Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu says he is the one holding back ECOWAS and other unnamed forces from invading Niger to restore constitutional order in the country.
Tinubu, who is also the chairperson of the ECOWAS heads of state and government, said this Thursday during a meeting with Nigerian Islamic clerics who are acting as mediators with the Niger junta.
“I am managing a very serious situation. If you take ECOWAS aside, other people will react, those who are outside of our control. I am the one holding those sides back. I am the one holding back ECOWAS,” he said, according to an account of the meeting made available by spokesperson Ajuri Ngelale.
The Nigerian leader, however, told his guests that he could not delay such military intervention for too long and so they must hasten their dialogue with the Niger junta.
Although Tinubu did not name the “other people” he was referring to, it could be a reference to France whose troops are stationed in Niger and have refused to recognize the authority of the junta.
Despite Tinubu’s appeal, ECOWAS heads of state approved a military intervention in Niger and ordered the deployment of an ECOWAS standby force in the country to ensure the return of President Mohamed Bazoum to power if dialogue fails.
Mr Bazoum was removed in a coup by soldiers last month and is still being detained alongside members of his family.
Despite the ECOWAS resolution which has since been supported by the AU and the UN, many Nigerians are opposed to military intervention in the neighboring country. The Islamic clerics who met with Mr Tinubu volunteered to mediate in the crisis due to their opposition to war and the close ethnic and religious ties between Nigeria and Niger.
