Immediate past governor of Kaduna State, Nasir el-Rufai, has cautioned the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) against military invasion into the Niger Republic.
He described any military intervention within the sub-region as a war between brothers.
El-Rufai, on Tuesday, via his verified handle on microblogging site X (formerly known as Twitter), said, “As ECOWAS beats the drums of war, I recall the 1970s rock classic by Dire Straits, Brothers in Arms’, because a war within our sub region is a war between brothers.”
ECOWAS had disclosed plans to use force as a last option if the coup leaders in Niger do not relinquish power to ousted President Mohamed Bazoum.
Military chiefs from the regional bloc’s member states, last Thursday in Accra, Ghana’s capital city, said it had begun the activation of its standby force in Niger.
Although the military chiefs had supported calls for dialogue as a mediation tactic, the group said all elements that would go into any military intervention had been worked out and were being refined.
