Niger Coup: Professor Kwesi Aning Declares Proposed ECOWAS Military Intervention Will Not Happen

• Professor Kwesi Aning has said he is convinced that the planned invasion of Niger with ECOWAS forces will not happen
• The Director of the Faculty of Academic Affairs and Research at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre said ECOWAS is merely saving face
• He said on Newsfile on Saturday that ECOWAS heads of state declared the plan to invade hastily and their defence chiefs are merely playing to the gallery

Security analyst Professor Kwesi Aning has said ECOWAS' threat to invade Niger and restore a democratic regime will not happen.

The renowned expert said ECOWAS heads of state made the hasty threat to invade and now ECOWAS defence chiefs must save face.

“Let me repeat it; the attack will not happen. You know yourself the number of times I’ve predicted coup d’états that have come through. So this is about forecasting and risk analysis and risk assessment," he said.

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Niger coup: Kubolor begs Ghanaian soldiers not to fight their fellow Africans

Speaking on Newsfile, a current affairs programme, on Saturday, August 19, 2023, Prof Aning said the General Abdourahmane Tchiani-led military regime in Niger is willing to dialogue but because of the hasty threat to deploy forces, ECOWAS is unable to do backdown.

The Director of the Faculty of Academic Affairs and Research at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC) further noted the Nigerien military junta has deployed fighter jets to its border not because it prefers aggression but as a necessary response to the sub-regional bloc's announcement on Friday, August 18, 2023, that it will invade.

ECOWAS army chiefs say UN Security Council approval not needed to enter Niger

On Friday, ECOWAS army chiefs, who met in Ghana for a summit to discuss how to invade Niger, announced that they do not need the approval of the UN Security Council to strike.

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"Tactful diplomacy is needed in Niger": Prof Gyampo rejects proposal to send ECOWAS troops

Head of ECOWAS' Commission on Peace and Security Abdel-Fatau Musah said member states will use their own resources.

Meanwhile, security expert Col Festus Aboagye (rtd) has told YEN.com.gh that invasion is a bad idea because it could backfire.

Professor Gyampo rejects proposal to invade Niger with ECOWAS military force

In a related story, Ransford Gyampo has joined the call for a planned invasion of Niger with ECOWAS troops to be shelved.

The political science professor at the University of Ghana, Legon, said military action could backfire because the Niger junta seem ready to fight back.

He also expressed concern about Russian and American interests in the region, which he said could turn the ECOWAS invasion into a proxy war between the two superpowers.

Source: YEN.com.gh