ECOWAS To Lift Niger Republic’s Sanction? Fresh Details Emerge
- The sanctions placed on the Republic of Niger by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) might be lifted soon
- The Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament, Sidie Tunis, confirmed this while receiving delegations of Africans Without Borders
- He, however, revealed that consideration to lift the ban on the Republic of Niger would come with a price
Legit.ng journalist Segun Adeyemi has over 9 years of experience covering political events, civil societies, courts, and metro.
FCT, Abuja - The Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament, Sidie Tunis, has announced that sanctions imposed on the Niger Republic will be lifted if the junta releases President Mohamed Bazoum.
This assurance was given during a courtesy visit in Abuja by a 19-man delegation from Africans Without Borders, seeking parliamentary support to ease the suffering of ordinary people in Niger by lifting sanctions.
Source: Original
Tunis instructed the delegation to persuade the junta to release Bazoum and his family without conditions and to facilitate a swift transition to restore constitutional governance in the country.
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Despite numerous attempts by the bloc, there has been no progress since the military junta ousted the democratically elected government in Niger.
According to NAN, he said:
“We are more interested in what is happening in Niger, we have sent delegation to investigate the situation after the military coup, but we need you as citizens to help to lessen the effect with your intervention as well.
“We represent you as Members of the ECOWAS Parliament; citizens diplomacy in my opinion is the best form of diplomacy that if used well can solve a whole lots of problems, not only in this sub-region but in the entire continent of Africa."
Tunis pledged ongoing support from ECOWAS for the people of Niger and clarified that the request was not for the reinstatement of President Bazoum but for his unconditional release from military detention at the presidential palace.
He said:
“We are for the people of Niger, and we will continue to support the people of Niger, and I can assure you that we are with the people of Niger.
“I want to give you a message to the leadership of Niger to clearly show us some goodwill and I can assure you that this sanction will be lifted."
“Take this message to the military leadership of Niger and tell them that we are with the good people of Niger, release President Mohamed Bazoum and his family.”
In a counter-reaction to Tunis's position, anti-terrorism expert Dr Abubakar Sani said the sanction of ECOWAS has failed to attain its objective.
Dr Sani stated that it was high time ECOWAS relaxed the sanction, noting that the military junta in Niger isn't affected by it but rather the innocent people of the country.
In a chat with Legit.ng, Dr Sani said:
"The sanctions had failed to achieve their intended objectives, and they would never yield any positive results apart from inflicting misery and hardship on innocent citizens of that country. The sanctions don't really affect the junta but the ordinary people."
Russian influence in Niger and other imminent coup d'état
He stated that the backing Niger gets from Russia further strengthens their course for military as other nations like Cameroon, Togo and Ivory Coast might be tilting towards the same direction.
Dr Sani said:
"The Russians are solidly on the ground in three countries, and even ECOWAS risks losing three members.
"There is a strong possibility that the Russians are encouraging some people in Cameroon, Togo and Ivory Coast to stage another coup."
He urged ECOWAS to look inward and talk to West African leaders to imbibe the true tenets of democracy and good governance.
Dr Sani said these leaders must start leading with accountability and efficiency as it is the only way to succeed.
ECOWAS parliament seeks lifting of sanctions against Niger Republic
Meanwhile, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and other heads of state in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) have been urged to lift the sanctions on Niger.
Some parliamentarians of the ECOWAS parliament made this appeal on Tuesday, November 22.
Contrastingly, Justice Edward Amoako Asante, the President of the ECOWAS Court of Justice, has called for immediate action on military juntas in the region.
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Source: Legit.ng
