APA – Abidjan (Cote d’Ivoire) – On Thursday 10 August 2023, the heads of state of Ecowas ordered the activation of the organization’s Standby Force at the end of an extraordinary summit in Abuja.
“Cote d’Ivoire will provide a battalion and has made all the financial arrangements for the operation,” the Ivorian leader, Alassane Ouattara said at Abidjan airport, reporting on the summit on his return from Abuja.
He gave assurances that if the military intervention by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) force is to last three months, provisions will be made in the budget to ensure that Ivorian soldiers and officers have everything they need.
“Cote d’Ivoire is ready and I have just instructed the Armed Forces Chief of Staff to start mobilizing its troops for their participation in this ECOWAS operation,” he added.
According to Alassane Ouattara, ECOWAS and the heads of state have decided to activate the standby force and deploy it to restore constitutional order in Niger. This was after the organization’s Chiefs of Staff Committee presented the concept and operational plan.
“This plan has been validated and now it must become operational. The Heads of State have agreed to the deployment of troops from a number of countries, including Cote d’Ivoire,” the Ivorian Head of State went on.
He insisted that “this collective decision is that of the Community of West African States. These are not decisions to be attributed to any one state, be it Nigeria, Cote d’Ivoire or Benin,” which are committed to participating in the military operation.
For him, “we must put an end to the suffering of the people of Niger.” Moreover, ECOWAS validated the military intervention on the basis of all the information obtained and in view of “the lack of will on the part of the putschists to return power to the democratically elected president.”
With the economic and financial sanctions imposed, “the people have no electricity, there is a shortage of food and famine could set in,” he said, pointing out that “people can only withdraw 10,000 CFA francs a day.”
“The putschists are held responsible for everything that happens in Niger,” he said, reporting that if the military authorities release the elected president, Mohamed Bazoum, he will be asked to “show clemency” towards the putschists.
This Thursday in Abuja, at the Extraordinary Summit of ECOWAS on the political situation in Niger, the heads of state and government of the sub-regional organization reaffirmed their determination to work for the restoration of constitutional order in Niger.
AP/fss/abj/APA