Fulani Group Writes ECOWAS Over Military Threat, Sanctions Against Niger Republic

A Fulani group, Kulen Allah Cattle Rearers Association of Nigeria (KACRAN), has appealed to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to review its recent actions against the Republic of Niger.

Naija News reported on Thursday that ECOWAS put its military force on standby to restore constitutional order in the Niger Republic.

The President of ECOWAS, Omar Alieu Touray, made this known while reading the resolution of ECOWAS on the Niger coup at the ECOWAS Extraordinary meeting in Abuja, the capital city of Nigeria, yesterday.

According to Touray, the regional bloc maintained a stand against the military government in Niger and directed immediate enforcement and monitoring of sanctions on the military junta.

KACRAN, however, in a statement signed and issued on Friday by its National President, Hon. Khalil Mohd Bello, urged the African nations organization to holistically review its military threat and economic sanction against the Niger Republic.

The Fulani group said it is not in support of any economic sanction against the Niger Republic. According to Bello, the sanctions by ECOWAS would be more harmful and disastrous to the poor masses of Niger, Nigeria, and her other neighbours than to the culprits and their surrogates.

“We are against any military intervention by ECOWAS or European countries for the reason that the said act would create more insecurity in Niger, Nigeria and other countries as this will lead to an unnecessary fight between the intervention troops and the Niger Republic army and the civilians who the military would delude under the cover of nationalism to join the fight as volunteers,” the statement read.

KACRAN stressed that the use of military force against the Niger Republic would also directly affect pastoral occupation in the entire Sahel region as herders cannot freely move in search of animal feeds and water points.

“The action would seriously lead to widespread terrorism as well as the proliferation of small and light weapons in the fragile sub saharan countries,” Bello warned.

KACRAN said it is best to engage in a dialogue to resolve the political and military problems rather than using military force as planned by ECOWAS.