In an extra-ordinary meeting held in Nigeria’s capital on Thursday, the heads of states of the Economic Community of West African States resolved to keep all options on the table for the resolution of the democratic impasse in the Republic of Niger.
Among other resolutions, the leadership of the organisation directed its standby force to activate its elements immediately while all other options were being pursued to restore a constitutional system to the country.
ECOMOG
For context, the standby force is named ECOWAS Cease-fire Monitoring Group (ECOMOG). Its manpower is said to hover around 12,000, with Nigeria contributing the largest fraction.
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The standby force is an operational multipurpose structure provided for under the Protocol on Mutual Assistance in Defence signed in Freetown on May 29, 1981 (now known as Protocol Relating to the Mechanism for Conflict Prevention, Management, Resolution, Peace-Keeping and Security promulgated in 1999).
The ECOWAS Cease–fire Monitoring Group (ECOMOG) is a structure composed of several standby multi–purpose modules (civilian and military) in their countries of origin and ready for immediate deployment.
The regional standby force’s functions are observation and monitoring; peacekeeping and restoration of peace; humanitarian interventions; enforcement of sanctions, including embargo; preventive deployment; peacebuilding; disarmament and demobilisation; and policing activities, including the control of fraud and organised crime.
It is multipurpose because it comprises civilian and military forces responsible for different functions relating to restoration of peace and provision of humanitarian assistance in any member-state.
It is usually led by a field commander. It was last led by Colonel Magatte Ndiaye, a Senegalese soldier, when it restored peace in The Gambia.
PREVIOUS OPERATIONS
Since its formation, the peace force has provided effective interventions in some West African countries, with its last place of operation being The Gambia in 2017.
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Clearly, it has successfully prevented the outbreak of civil wars. It contributed to the maintenance of constitutional order in Liberia in 1990, Sierra Leone in 1998 and Guinea-Bissau in 1999. It was also part of peace-keeping forces in Ivory Coast in 2003, as well as Mali in 2013.
WILL NIGER TROOPS JOIN ECOMOG?
Although Niger had participated in previous ECOMOG outings, its troops might not join the proposed operation.
A military junta is in control of Niger’s civilian and military organisations. It will have to rely on its armed forces and other materials and military manpower from its allies to resist ECOWAS forceful intervention.
It is difficult to state whether the peace-keeping force will eventually be drafted to Niger, given the prioritisation of other prospects for amicable resolution of the crisis.
Niger might not hold out against a well-coordinated ECOMOG force, according to some security analysts.
CAN TINUBU ACT WITHOUT THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY?
Nigeria’s constitution specifies specific situations in which members of the Nigerian armed forces could be mandated to participate in foreign missions.
Section 5 (4) of the 1999 Constitution spells out the conditions under which the president could mobilise the country’s armed forces to fight in a foreign battle.
(4) Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this section –
(a) the president shall not declare a state of war between the Federation and another country except with the sanction of a resolution of both Houses of the National Assembly sitting in a joint session;
(b) except with the prior approval of the Senate, no member of the armed forces of the Federation shall be deployed on combat duty outside Nigeria.
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(5) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection 4 of this section, the president; in consultation with the National Defence Council, may deploy members of the armed forces of the Federation on a limited combat duty outside Nigeria if he is satisfied that the national security is under imminent threat or danger;
Provided that the president shall, within seven days of actual combat engagement, seek the consent of the Senate and the Senate shall thereafter give or refuse the said consent within fourteen days.
Lawyers have, however, argued that the president has no power to deploy Nigerian troops to any foreign mission without obtaining a parliamentary nod.
In is instructive to point out that the protocol that birthed ECOMOG was adopted in accordance with ECOWAS member-states’ local constitutional procedures.
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