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Colonel Festus Aboagye (Rtd.) has cautioned the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to be careful in how it handles the process to restore democracy in Niger after soldiers toppled President Mohamed Bazoum and took control of the Sahelian country.
The security analyst bashed the regional bloc’s threat to intervene in the crisis militarily which he described as hasty.
Speaking on the August 9 edition of The Point of View on Citi TV, Mr. Aboagye said he expects ECOWAS to recalibrate its decisions and consult with the various military chiefs stationed in the country and the Sahel region to get briefed on the requirements, cost, and risk involved in intervening militarily.
He particularly cautioned the regional bloc to take into consideration the interests of some superpowers in the crisis so as not to complicate the situation further.
“We need to be careful with some countries like America. America has not emphasized the reinstatement of Bazoum, America emphasized the restoration or return to democracy. France has also not mentioned the reinstatement of Bazoum, France mentioned its interest.”
“If we cannot do it alone, let us dial back and engage because after all, what are we looking for? We are looking for a transition, and we need a transition that is as short as possible and not the Malian situation where restoring democracy is prolonging.”
Mr. Aboagye also called for a holistic discussion on the tenets of democracy, which he said are the only means to check and prevent coups on the continent.
“When it is all said and done, we should look at what exactly democracy means because the only way to prevent coups is to consolidate democracy, which entails good governance, the rule of law, respect for human rights, and checking corruption, all of which have national security implications, and so if we don’t do that, we will keep having these situations.”
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