Catholic bishops in West Africa, have warned the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS to step down its plan to use force against the military junta in Niger Republic.
The bishops under the aegis of reunion of Episcopal Conferences of West Africa, RECOWA, said any attempt to use military force for the reinstatement of President Muhammad Bazoum who was deposed three weeks ago in a coup led by Gen Abdourahamane Tchiani, will lead to the Libya experience.
Following the removal of Libya’s strongman Muammar Gaddafi from power in 2011, the country has been destabilised by warlords who now reign supreme in the war-torn country.
The bishops’ warning comes ahead of the meeting of ECOWAS heads of state in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital today.
The meeting is also coming after diplomatic efforts to restore Bazoum to power seems not to be working.
On Wednesday, a former Emir of Kano, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi met Gen. Tchiani in a bid to resolve the political standoff.
Sanusi visit comes a few days after an ECOWAS delegation led by a former Nigeria’s head of state, Gen Abdusalami Abubakar and Sultan of Sokoto, Saad Abubakar met the coupists in Niamey.
As tension continues to rise, the 15-nation regional bloc is expected to take a fresh decision about the coup a few days after it warned that all options are on the table including the use of force to resolve the political impasse.
Reacting to the unconstitutional removal of President Bazoum, RECOWA, said the proposed military intervention in Niger will scatter the security situation in the sub-region.
The bishops made this known in a two-page letter to the President of ECOWAS, Heads of State of ECOWAS, and the Transitional Authorities in Niger, dated August 7, 2023.
They warned the ECOWAS leaders to learn from what happened in Libya in 2011 following the removal of Gadaffi.
The letter was Signed by RECOWA President and Bishop of Agboville, Most Rev. Alexis Touabli Youlo.
The Catholic Bishops said diplomatic solutions to the political crisis must be explored to bring all the parties to negotiation.
The Catholic leaders said they are deeply worried “Faced with the events currently unfolding in the sub-region, the lives of the people of West Africa are at stake.”
The statement further read, “Keeping as our central vision the integrity of the people and emphasising respect for human dignity and a high sense of accountability to mankind, history, and God the Creator, we affirm that nothing can justify the creation or facilitation of an environment that is destructive to our people.
“We, your pastors, are convinced, and the history of people teaches us that violence does not solve any problem, not even the one that triggered it. We affirm that any military intervention in Niger at this time would contemplate the situation of the people of Niger and the sub-region more than it would provide solutions.
“Terrorism already has a macabre toll of widows, orphans, displaced persons, the hungry, the maimed, and so on. People are not expecting the regional, African, and other institutions to add to this toll,” the Catholic bishops of West Africa said.
“We cannot remain silent in the face of such situations and must learn lessons to ensure that such events do not happen again, particularly with Niger as a potential epicenter of a similar crisis. As a Bishops’ conference, our mission is intimately linked to the promotion of reconciliation and peace.
“We firmly believe that every human being is called to live in peace and to be a peacemaker in accordance with the teachings of the Bible and those of the holy books of other religious confessions, which exhort us to work for reconciliation and brotherhood between all peoples.”
“Peace is a precious gift that we must cultivate and preserve together. It is like a common mat that we must weave together with each person contributing to his or her thread,” the bishops said.
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