ECOWAS to hold Russia responsible if Wagner Group violates human rights in Niger
Tamarauemi Ebimini
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has said that it will hold Russia responsible if a private military contractor of the Eastern European nation, Wagner Group, gets involved in the crisis in the Republic of Niger.
The ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, Ambassador Abdel-Fatau Musah, said this in an interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily Friday.
Musah noted that another West African nation had a separate arrangement with the private military security outfit from Russia.
The official of the West African bloc further warned the Wagner Group against violating human rights in the wake of the coup in the Niger Republic.
“The Wagner Group, apparently, is in Mali today. The Malian government says this is an agreement between them and the Russian Federation,” Musah said.
“We want to take them by their word, which means any sort of action that infringes on human rights or yeah, or devastation in our region by these private military contractors, we are going to hold the other countries of our region responsible for that.”
Musah was asked if he was referring to Russia, to which the ECOWAS official replied, “That’s Russia (we will hold them) responsible diplomatically. The West African region is just not Russia.”
According to Musah, private military companies have been a feature of the African conflict scene for so many years.
In related news, Musah said that the ousted Niger president Mohamed Bazoum and his son being held by the country’s coup leaders, are living under appalling circumstances.
Musah said this also on Channels Television following reports of threats by the putschists to kill Bazoum in the event of a military intervention of ECOWAS.
Meanwhile, West African chiefs of staff decided to meet on Saturday following a summit that ordered the deployment of a “standby force” in the effort to resolve the Niger Republic crisis, regional military sources said.
The proposed meeting of the ECOWAS military chiefs will take place in the Ghanaian capital, Accra, they said, according to AFP.
