West African CSOs seek peaceful resolution to Niger crisis.
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has been urged by civil society organizations (CSOs) in West Africa to look for non-military solutions before taking military action in the Niger Republic.
Following the country’s putsch, ECOWAS, headed by President Bola Tinubu, vowed to use force in addition to economic and financial penalties to restore the country’s expelled leader, Mohamed Bazoum.
According to Victoria Ibezim-Ohaeri, executive director of Spaces for Change (S4C), the 15 CSOs were troubled by the unlawful change of governments in West Africa and the intended use of force to sanitize the system.
The group stated, “These concerted plans to deploy maximum force and sanctions against Niger have persisted despite the outright rejection of military operations by the parliaments in West African countries and the warnings by rights groups about the looming humanitarian crisis.”
The sub-region witnessed a string of military coups between August 2020 and July 2023 in Mali (August 2020 and May 2021), Chad (April 2021), Guinea (September 2021), Burkina Faso (January 2022), and Niger.
Other African nations like Guinea-Bissau (January 2022) and Gabon (August 2023) have also experienced successful and unsuccessful coups recently, indicating the growing popularity of military overthrows, usually following flawed elections that produced results that are inconsistent with the wishes of the electorate.
The CSOs opposed the unlawful transitions in political power as well as the highly flawed electoral systems, escalating unrest, and endemic governance issues that served as their catalysts.
Despite the fact that Tinubu is the head of the ECOWAS Standby Force, the Nigerian Senate has opposed using the military as a political solution. The organisations stated: “The use of force has never been a helpful strategy for addressing any form of conflict. Forty-two per cent of Niger’s children are out of school due to the festering violence and protracted conflicts in the Sahel. Additional military action in the country will trigger new source of conflict and cause sporadic increase in the proliferation of weapons and armed fighters in the Sahel, exacerbating the mass displacement of citizens and disruptions to children’s education.
We implore ECOWAS to forgo its proposed military involvement in Niger in favor of peaceful solutions. Alternatives include taking into account a comprehensive strategy that encompasses political, security, and diplomatic dimensions or enabling a methodical transition to democratic governance in Niger. By fostering a conducive climate for the holding of free and fair elections throughout the sub-region, West African leaders can greatly minimize the incidence of illegitimate transition of power.
The rest groups are: Accountability Lab; GPPAC West Africa Network; Centre for Community Empowerment in Conflict and Peacebuilding (CCECP); Building Blocks for Peace Foundation; Rule of Law and Accountability Centre (RULAAC) and Centre for Community Empowerment in Conflict and Peacebuilding (Nigeria).
Community Coalition for Peace and the Promotion of Living Together (COPAVE); Réseau Nigérien Anti-Corruption; ONG ICON-Niger Stop Corruption; ADDENA (Niger); Global Participe (Republique du Congo); Organisation de la Jeunesse Féminine (OJF), BEOG NEERE (Burkina Faso), and Association de Bienfaisance pour le Développement Économique et Local en Afrique (Togo).
A Northern forum known as the ‘Kungiyar Mutanen Arewa’ requested for collaboration between the Nigerian Navy and Tantita security personnel to battle the Niger Delta’s oil theft scourge.
This comes as the group rejected the recent arrest of some Tantita security personnel by a part of the Nigerian Navy for alleged attempted oil theft.
Tantita is a private security business run by ex-Niger Delta agitator Government Ekpemupolo, also known as Tompolo.
On August 29, 2023, the Nigerian Navy claimed that officers stationed at Forward Operation Base Lekki foiled an alleged attempt to steal oil from a pipeline near the Itolu community in the state.
Nigerian Navy had said in a statement. that “the naval crew arrived on the site and saw four people who were attempting to recover an outboard engine from a local while wearing black polo shirts with the word TANTITA written on the back, claiming that it found the engine and captured the four Tantita employees,”
However, the northern group suggested that Tantita and the Nigerian Navy should cooperate on operations rather than having disagreements.
Additionally, they demanded that the Tantita Security Services pipeline surveillance contract be renewed.
In addition, it asked with President Bola Tinubu to take prompt action and relaunch the Nigerian Navy unit in charge of patrolling the oil rivers.
The forum, which expressed its disapproval of the Navy’s course of action at a protest on Monday outside the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation’s Abuja headquarters, emphasized the need for Tantita and the military to work together across agencies.
According to the protesters, “Asonja Goddey, Obajimi Oluwaseyifunmi, Awolowo Aribo, and Oluwadaisi Balogun were arrested by the Nigerian Navy segment operating in the oil rivers.”
Saidu Bello, the forum’s chairman, spoke to journalists and urged President Tinubu to act quickly while expressing his displeasure and worries about how these activities could affect Nigeria’s financial stability.
“Any circumstances under which the main engine of the Nigerian economy is affected upset not only the Nigerian state but several ancillary units and services that depend on the Nigerian economy,” said Bello.
The chairman then urged a new security strategy, advising the Nigerian Navy to focus on protecting the nation’s marine blue line while leaving other security agencies in charge of policing the waterways.
He continued, “We urge the Navy to make arrests in reaction to any unlawful cross-border activity emanating from inbound nautical activities. Other security organizations in charge of policing Nigeria’s waterways would be able to do their jobs well as a result.
He insisted that Tantita’s efforts had improved oil export, pointing out that oil production had significantly increased from an all-time low of less than one million barrels per day to an average of 1.47 million barrels per day. He continued by saying that Tantita had previously received praise for this accomplishment from NNPCL’s GMD, Mele Kyari.
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