Nigeria’s former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Aminu Bashir Wali, has said that it is dangerous for Nigeria to start a war against the military junta in Niger.
He stated this on Arise TV during a chat on the recent developments regarding the coup in the West African country.
Wali said the decision to go to war by Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) was ill-thought.
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He cautioned the Nigerian government on its decisions regarding the situation in Niger, saying that Nigeria needed its meagre resources to tackle the security crisis bedeviling it before trying to interfere in another country.
He said, “Before the ECOWAS goes to war in Niger, they should know that going to war isn’t a simple thing. The whole international community is involved in any war that is happening anywhere and in any part of the world. What we are talking about is this: ECOWAS has taken a decision. They want to go to war. But that’s not the end of the matter.
“We have to be very careful how we tackle the situation in Niger. Any crisis of this nature is of concern to the entire international community because if ECOWAS decides to go to war, the Security Council of the United Nations will now have to give a go-ahead. And what I’m scared of is a proxy war in Niger, because we in Nigeria will also be involved. Because the whole of ECOWAS is looking at Nigeria and not any other country.
“And when we look at our own country today, internally we need our resources, we need our military to bring peace and security because we are not secure ourselves.
“So how can we now decide to use the meagre resources that we have to go and start funding a war in a foreign country?”
On Thursday, ECOWAS ordered the Chief of Defence Staff Committee to immediately activate its standby force in readiness for war in Niger.
This came after the ECOWAS leaders had converged on Abuja to discuss the next line of action following the expiration of the seven-day ultimatum for the reinstatement of President Mohamed Bazoum.
At the meeting, the regional bloc said all efforts to discuss with Niger military junta had been rejected by the coup leaders.
