August 15, (THEWILL) – The Niger military junta has recalled the country’s ambassador from Ivory Coast, in protest against comments by the Ivorian president, which the junta said amounted to “praising armed action” against Niamey.
Ivorian President, Alassane Ouattara, had spoken of his determination to see Niger’s ousted President, Mohamed Bazoum, reinstated on his return from a regional summit last week.
Although leaders of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), at a summit in Abuja, last Thursday, reaffirmed preference for a diplomatic route to reinstate Bazoum, they, however, ordered the deployment of a “standby force”, without giving details of any possible West African military intervention.
But on his return from a summit the Abuja summit, Ouattara said the heads of state had agreed a military operation should “start as soon as possible”
He said Ivory Coast would contribute a battalion of between 850 and 1,100 troops, alongside Nigeria and Benin.
“The putschists can decide to leave tomorrow morning and there will be no military intervention, it all depends on them. We are determined to reinstate President (Mohamed) Bazoum”, Quattara had said.
Reacting to President Quattara’s comment, the leader of the military junta, General Abdourahamane Tchiani, said the Ivorian President’s “haste… attests to the manipulation orchestrated by certain outside powers.
“That is why the (leaders) and the government of Niger express their total rejection of the remarks made by Ouattara which go beyond the common position of the sub-regional organisation ECOWAS… and decide to recall the Niger ambassador to Abidjan for consultation.”
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