Kwesi Pratt, a respected Ghanaian journalist and managing editor of the Insight newspaper, has spoken out against plans by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), led by Nigerian President Ahmed Tinubu, to deploy West African soldiers into Niger to fight for the reinstatement of deposed President Mohammed Bazuom.
He questioned why the leaders of these countries had allowed terrorists such as Boko Haram to wreak havoc in Nigeria and insurgents to attack several of their countries without a coordinated deployment of troops, but had instead chosen to endanger the lives of soldiers in order to restore an overthrown President to power.
He questioned if the West African leaders are acting in good faith, considering the community’s issues and their failure to address them straight on.
He singled out President Ahmed Tinubu for criticising ECOWAS for even considering such a move in light of Boko Haram terrorists’ success in devastating areas of the country.
“You cannot fight Boko Haram. You’ve allowed your citizens to be kidnapped, to be killed, to be molested. Your villages have been ransacked by Boko Haram.
You can’t deal with Boko Haram, so you’re sending troops to Niger to battle to restore Niger’s president? Are you insane? You fled from Boko Haram. You conduct a conference in Abuja to plan your trip to Niger to wage war? What are you taking the Nigerian people for? Are you insane? “Are you insane?”He questioned.
Mr Pratt believes that ECOWAS soldiers would refuse to be sent into Niger because they do not want to wage a senseless war.
“…I believe very strongly that West African soldiers are human beings. They are sensible. They know their interests and the interests of their countries. And that no West African soldier is ready to go and die a foolish death in Niger,” he added.
West African leaders will gather today in Accra, Ghana, to discuss the deployment of soldiers into Niger to reinstall the country’s democratically elected president.
