Senegal announced on Thursday its readiness to participate in a military intervention in Niger, should the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) decide to take kinetic action in response to last week’s coup.
Speaking at a government press briefing in Dakar, Foreign Minister Aissata Tall Sall emphasised the gravity of the situation, stating that there are ‘one coup too many’ in the region. She further highlighted Senegal’s commitment to its international obligations.
‘Senegalese soldiers, for all these reasons, will go there,’ she said.
In response to the ousting of President Mohamed Bazoum, the regional bloc ECOWAS has asserted its stance, warning of the possibility of employing force if the junta does not restore him by Sunday.
Read also: Opposition Leader In Senegal Charged For Insurrection
Niger’s recent putsch marks the fourth instance within the bloc since 2020, raising alarm among regional observers.
As part of an important initiative, military chiefs from ECOWAS member-countries held a three-day consultation in Nigeria, starting on Wednesday, to strengthen regional collaboration and strategize on key issues.
Tall Sall emphasised that Senegal is bound to adhere to ECOWAS’s decisions, as a matter of obligation.
She however added, ‘Senegal’s conviction is that these coups must be stopped — that’s why we are going there.’
Additionally, she questioned ECOWAS’s stance on sending troops to Niger, as the same response was not observed in Mali, Guinea, or Burkina Faso after coups erupted in those nations.
‘To give a simple answer, because it is one coup too many,’ she said.
Furthermore, Tall Sall stressed that the underlying motive for ECOWAS’s actions was to pursue negotiations extensively with these countries to ensure a smooth return of power to democratically elected civilian leaders.
‘Has there been any single time they have put an end to the insecurity?’ she asked.
‘What we have seen is that, once in power, the soldiers take over civilian roles.’
She also discredited the argument brought up by the Sahel juntas, emphasising that their claim of needing to take power to advance the fight against jihadism lacked validity.