In order to assist prevent violence and instability in Niger, the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference (GCBC) has encouraged ECOWAS leaders to study and exhaust all alternative diplomatic options.
Also, they have urged the regional group to refrain from using force to reinstate constitutional authority in Niger.
Although though the Bishops are deeply concerned about the situation in Niger, which has the potential to exacerbate chaos and insecurity in the area, they stated in a statement that using military force to address the issue should not even be considered.
The concept of an ECOWAS military intervention to restore the constitutional rule in Niger, according to the conference, “should not even be considered,” it stated.
The Bishops stated in a statement dated August 24, 2023 and signed by the Conference President, Most Reverend Matthew Kwasi Gyamfi, that such an intervention could worsen an already volatile situation and put vulnerable communities in danger.
In reaction to a probable military involvement by ECOWAS, Mali and Burkina Faso have already sent jets to Niger, it is important to remember. Burkina Faso has additionally vowed to leave ECOWAS if the organization intervenes militarily in Niger.
“In line with the teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ (cf. John 14:27), we, as a Conference, are opposed to any military intervention against the coup makers in Niger, as this will exacerbate the already precarious situation in that country where civilians such as women, children, aged, weak and vulnerable in society are bearing the biggest brunt of the chaotic situation,” it said.
“This will require further engagements with the coup leaders to discuss a concrete roadmap for the situation. The Conference is confident that this approach will enable all parties and the mediators to speedily design long-lasting solutions to the situation in Niger.”
It added that “The Conference, as a member of the Regional Episcopal Conference of West Africa (RECOWA), made up of the Catholic Cardinals, Archbishops and Bishops in West Africa, reiterates the position of RECOWA, which calls for restraint on the part of the ECOWAS leaders for the use of force to restore constitutional regime in Niger.
The group further raised concerns that for “the past three years, the West African Sub-region has been plagued with a series of coups d’état after years of the continent’s attempt to deepen democratic governance,”
He continued: “This situation started with the Republic of Mali in 2020, Guinea in 2021, Burkina Faso in 2022 and now Niger in 2023. The Conference further urges the Government of Ghana to refrain from the use of force and likewise urges its colleague leaders to do same.”
