The Economic Community of West Africa States (ECOWAS) has imposed fresh sanctions on Niger Republic, following the expiration of the 7-day deadline issued to the military junta by the bloc.
The fresh sanctions announced by the presidential spokesperson Njuri Ngeale, come before the August 10 meeting scheduled by ECOWAS to deliberate on the next line of action to take.
Following the coup in Niger Republic, ECOWAS, backed by Western leaders issued a 7-day ultimatum to the junta to reinstate President Mohamed Bazoum or risk sanctions with potential military action.
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However, the coup plotters disregarded ECOWAS’ warnings and asserted their determination to oppose any external interference within their borders.
They also cut diplomatic relations with Nigeria, Togo, France, and the United States, while imposing an indefinite closure of Nigerien airspace. Their defiance amid overwhelming antiwar calls forced ECOWAS to seek a new approach.
Ngeale, said Tuesday while addressing State House correspondents that more sanctions had been imposed on the individuals and entities relating to the military junta. According to him, the new sanctions are being imposed through the Central Bank of Nigeria.
He said without giving details: “I can also report that following the expiration of the deadline of the ultimatum and standing on the preexisting consensus position of financial sanctions meted out on the military junta in Niger Republic by the bloc of ECOWAS Heads of State, His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has ordered an additional sway of financial sanctions through the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on entities and individuals related to or involved with the military junta in Niger Republic.”
“The ECOWAS mandate and ultimatum is not a Nigerian ultimatum. It is not a Nigerian mandate and the office of His Excellency President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, also serving as the chairman of ECOWAS seeks to emphasize this point. That is due to certain domestic and international media coverage, tending toward personalization of the ECOWAS sub-regional position to his Person and to our nation individually.
“It is because of this that Mr. President has deemed it necessary to state unequivocally that the mandate and ultimatum by issued ECOWAS is that of ECOWAS’s position. While His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has assumed the ECOWAS chairmanship, the position of ECOWAS conveys the consensus position of member heads of state. And a coup will not occur in one’s backyard, without one being particularly aware of it.
“The president in recent days, particularly following the expiration of the ultimatum given by ECOWAS has widened consultations internationally but most especially domestically, including interfaces with state governors in Nigeria, who govern states bordering Niger Republic on the various fallouts and outcomes of the unfortunate situation that has unfolded in Niger Republic.
“But President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, wishes to emphasize to this distinguished audience that the response of ECOWAS to the military coup in Niger has been and will remain devoid of ethnic and religious sentiments and considerations.
“The regional bloc is made up of all sub regional ethnic groups, religious groups, and all other forms of human diversity. And the response of ECOWAS, therefore, represents all of these groups, and not any of these groups individually.”
Meanwhile, the junta, ignoring the drum of sanctions, is constituting a new government. A former Minister of Economy and Finance Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine has been named Niger Republic‘s new Prime Minister.
He was officially appointed by the self-proclaimed Head of State, Abdourahmane Tiani, according to an announcement made by a spokesperson for the military junta via a late-night television statement on Monday.
The freshly appointed Prime Minister previously held a position in the cabinet of then-President Mamadou Tandja, who was ousted by the nation’s military in 2010.
Zeine assumes the role, succeeding Mahamadou Ouhoumoudou, who happened to be in Europe during the coup.
In addition, the junta has designated Amadou Didilli to lead the nation’s High Authority for Peace Consolidation (HACP), while Abou Tague Mahamadou has been selected as the inspector-general overseeing the army and national gendarmerie.
Ibro Amadou Bachirou takes on the role of the Chief of Staff for the junta leader’s private office, and Habibou Assoumane is appointed as the commander of the presidential guard.
Tiani, until his new role as Niger’s head of state, had led the presidential guard which had held democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum hostage since July 26.