Some Niger nationals are calling on Ghanaians to assist them stop the insurgency in their troubled country.
On July 27, soldiers, primarily from the presidential guard, seized Niger’s President Mohamed Bazoum, leading to the dissolution of the constitution, suspension of all institutions, and the closure of the nation’s borders.
President Mohamed Bazoum remains in the custody of the presidential guard, despite cautions from ECOWAS for the military to hand over power to the constitutionally elected President.
In a statement issued by mass organisations in Niger, they said, “We, the undersigned organisations, would like to make known our collective views on the situation in Niger who are living under a military regime and facing the threat of ECOWAS military invasion. We invite Ghanaians to join us in pushing for a democratic solution to the Instability facing Niger, the Sahel, and West Africa as a whole.
“We believe that democracy is more than a stagnant set of state legal institutions. Democracy is the historical political struggle that counters the concentrated power of economic, social, and indeed, military elites with the sheer numbers of the ordinary working people in society.
“The governance institutions that must express the democratic aspirations of people are best worked out democratically and dynamically by the people themselves. The wave of national independence struggles 70 years ago was a watershed in Africa’s construction of democracy, self-determination, and economic emancipation. The continued construction of democracy is necessary for peaceful co-existence and development in Africa. Democratic performance is the key determinant of the legitimacy of state institutions”.
The groups call on other Africans to join forces together to ensure that Niger is relieved of its troubles.
“Lastly we call on the citizens of West Africa to respond with fellowship and solidarity to the situation in Niger. We know that working people across West Africa are already struggling with deep economic, social, and political crises. This crisis that has crystallised in the Sahel today is existential for all of us. We all have a direct interest in containing and resolving this crisis and moving to higher levels of integration and development. There is no future if we cannot act as one.
“The Sahel is West Africa’s frontline. It is not somebody else’s problem. We must begin to express material solidarity with the people of Niger. West Africa and Africa must lead in this crisis. We must not only reject xenophobia. We must lead in the coordination of relief and solidarity work for the displaced peoples in the Sahel and for migrants in and from West Africa,” the group said.
The groups also called on the Niger government and other African governments to immediately abrogate all agreements that turn them into gendarmes and prisoners.
“We also call on the government of Niger, and all other African governments, to immediately abrogate all agreements that turn them into gendarmes and prisoners of their own peoples for the sake of implementing openly racist immigration policies and laws of Europe in particular,” the group stated.
