Bayo Onanuga, a former media aide to President Bola Tinubu, has asked ECOWAS to rethink its strategy to deal with this latest setback to democracy in the Niger Republic.
He stated this while reacting to the warning issued by the junta-led governments of Burkina Faso and Mali that any military effort to invade Niger will be resisted.
In a statement on Monday, the two nations in the Sahel region said any military intervention to restore Niger’s deposed President Mohamed Bazoum would be viewed as a “declaration of war against their two countries.”
Both Burkina Faso and Mali denounced the sanctions imposed on Niger, insisting that they refuse to apply the “illegal, illegitimate and inhumane sanctions against the people and authorities of Niger”.
Reacting to the development in a Twitter post on Tuesday, Onanuga said the military juntas in Mali and Burkina Faso are ready to call the bluff of ECOWAS.
He said the nations are even ganging up to thwart a possible invasion of Niger by a West African army, believing Russia will back them.
The veteran journalist, however, asked ECOWAS to rethink its strategy to deal with the situation in Niger.
He wrote: “The military juntas in the Sahel appear ready to call ECOWAS’ bluff. They are even now ganging up to thwart a possible invasion of Niger by a West African army, believing Russia will back them. ECOWAS must rethink its strategy to deal with this latest setback to democracy in the region.”
