Niger civilians take initiative to prepare for war, recruit thousands

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
16 Aug 2023 15:49
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Nigeriens initiate a nationwide recruitment campaign to assemble numerous civilian volunteers to assist the Armed Forces in countering potential imminent military operations.

Nigeriens demonstrating in support of the new leadership on independence day in Niamey on August 3, 2023 (AFP)

Citizens of Niger are boosting preperations for a military attack by some of their African neighbors, as Western-backed ECOWAS increased its threats in the past few days after deploying a “standby force" and greenlighting an operation "as soon as possible."

Nigeriens in Niamey launched a nationwide recruitment campaign to gather thousands of civilian volunteers to help the Armed Forces repel possible military actions anticipated shortly. Individuals signing up could also assist with medical efforts, and join engineering, logistics, and technical teams, among other forms of contributions, Amsarou Bako, one of the founders, told Associated Press AP on Tuesday.

"It’s an eventuality. We need to be ready whenever it happens," he told the news agency, confirming that the new leadership is not part of the movement, yet aware of it.

Niger's new leadership vowed on Sunday to prosecute ousted President Mohamed Bazoum for "high treason and undermining the internal and external security of Niger," slamming the West African leaders for imposing sanctions against the country.

The efforts, which will start on Saturday, will focus on regions where foreign forces are most likely to invade and anyone over 18 could register.

ECOWAS has resorted to implementing a full pressure campaign on the country, which included the closure of land and air borders between the bloc's countries and Niger, the suspension of all commercial and financial transactions with it, and the freezing of the country's assets in ECOWAS Central Banks.

Military chiefs of the West African bloc will meet in Ghana on Thursday and Friday - a meeting that was set last Saturday but was postponed due to "technical issues" - to discuss a possible military invasion in Niger, regional military and political sources confirmed on Tuesday.

“A military intervention with no end in sight risks triggering a regional war, with catastrophic consequences for the vast Sahel that is already plagued by insecurity, displacement, and poverty,” said Mucahid Durmaz, senior analyst at Verisk Maplecroft, a global risk intelligence company.

The interim governments of Mali and Burkina Faso warned that any military intervention against Niger would be considered a declaration of war against them.

Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune highlighted earlier that the Niger crisis represents a "direct threat to Algeria," rejecting completely and categorically the prospect of military intervention in Niamey.

Meanwhile, Algerian Chief of Staff Said Chengriha announced on Tuesday that it opposes foreign military intervention in Niger, warning that it would lead to further instability in the Sahel region.

The situation in the African Sahel region "is a direct result of the repercussions of the Libyan crisis and the foreign interventions in the region since 2011, as well as the alarming development of the armed conflict in Sudan since April 2023." he said during the Moscow Security Conference in Russia (MCIS).

Commenting on a possible attack on Niger, the United States declared that it agreed with a military operation against the uranium-rich country as a "last option".

“The US is in a difficult situation with no good choices,” said Michael Shurkin, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council. “It either sticks to a principled position and pushes for democracy while alienating the junta and risk pushing it into Russia’s arms, or we give up in principle and work with the junta in the hope of salvaging a productive working relationship."

While regional and Western countries scramble for how to respond, many Nigeriens are convinced they'll soon be invaded.