MADRID 27 Dic. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has this Thursday shown its support for Nigeria and other member states of the regional organization in the face of “baseless” accusations that it sponsors terrorism, after the coup leader of Niger, General Abdourahamane Tchiani claims that Paris is providing financial support to the Nigerian authorities to establish a military base to destabilize the region.
The ECOWAS Commission has expressed “its deep concern at the allegations made” and has “strongly supported Nigeria and other States against accusations that they sponsor terrorism”, thus rejecting “any suggestion that such a generous and magnanimous country should become a state sponsor of terrorism”.
In this sense, he assured that the Nigerian authorities “for years have supported the peace and security of several countries, not only in the West African subregion, but also on the African continent,” according to an ECOWAS statement published in its social network profile X.
“The recent successes recorded by the Multinational Joint Task Force (against Boko Haram), which Nigeria leads, demonstrate the country’s commitment to the peace and security of the entire region,” he defended. Finally, he called on all States in the region to “promote dialogue and stability and refrain from making accusations that are not supported by any evidence.”
In fact, Nigeria’s Information Minister, Mohamed Idris, has “strongly rejected the allegations made in a viral video” by Tchiani, in which he “claimed collusion that does not exist between Nigeria and France to destabilize the country.” “These statements exist only in his imagination, since Nigeria has never participated in any overt or covert alliance with France – or with any other country – to sponsor attacks or destabilize Niger following the undemocratic change in the country’s leadership,” he said. .
Idris stressed that the country’s president and ECOWAS president, Bola Tinubu, has “demonstrated exemplary leadership, keeping the doors of the sub-regional body open to resume dialogue with the Republic of Niger despite the political situation in the country.” Thus, he promised that “Nigeria remains committed to promoting peace, harmony and historic diplomatic ties with Niger.”
Likewise, he stressed that the Nigerian Army “is managing to stop terrorism in the region”, which is why “it is absurd to suggest that Nigeria would conspire with any foreign power to undermine the peace and security of a neighboring country.” “Neither the Government nor any of its officials have even participated in arming or supporting any terrorist group to attack Niger,” he added.
However, they have asserted that “any attempt to blackmail Nigeria over the principled stance of ECOWAS against the unconstitutional seizure of power is false and doomed to fail”, while alleging that they constitute a “dangerous attempt to divert attention of the deficiencies of his administration”.
The Alliance of Sahel States, the regional organization created by the coup leaders of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, recently accused ECOWAS of maintaining “imperialist and neocolonialist ambitions” by imposing a six-month withdrawal period, which they considered a “new attempt that would allow the French junta and its delegates to continue planning and carrying out destabilization actions.”