abuja, nigeria – On Saturday, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) will hold a summit in Nigeria's capital Abuja to discuss the withdrawal of three member states and the constitutional crisis in four.
The departure of Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso from the region in January has raised concerns that insecurity in the Sahel could spread to other parts of West Africa.
The three have staged five coups in the past three years, with Puscists citing the inability of the governments they replaced to deal with the spread of armed groups in the region.
coup d'etat It led to tough sanctions by ECOWAS after the coup, angering Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso. However, while local populations in the affected countries appear to have largely welcomed the military occupation, it has also sparked debate about the state of democracy in the region.
Ahead of the bloc's meeting, Nigeria's military commander, General Christopher Musa, spoke to Al Jazeera in Abuja on Tuesday about developments in the situation in Niger and other issues, including the challenges faced in fighting insurgents in Nigeria. .
This interview has been edited for clarity.
Al Jazeera: What impact does Niger's withdrawal from ECOWAS have on combat operations against armed groups in the region?
Musa: There is a multinational joint task force in the Lake Chad region consisting of Cameroon, Niger, Chad, and Nigeria, but it has withdrawn, although not completely, due to the Niger issue. influence. If you remove it, it will be exposed. We all feel African. Africa should never be allowed to become a proxy war zone. We can't afford to do that. Nigeria has nothing against Niger, Cameroon and Burkina Faso. we all need each other. They can't do it alone and we can't do it alone. Together, we can stand up to the jihadists, and the jihadists will come after them. Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger remain in fierce conflict with jihadists.
Al Jazeera: Is a military solution to the crisis against Niger still in the plans?
Musa: On the diplomatic front, ECOWAS is working to get Niger to return to democracy and understand why it needs to return to ECOWAS. That's why we avoided military conflict. Some people wanted a military conflict, but we said no. We do not want our region to become a proxy war zone. Because it is of no use to us. Both countries must maintain friendly relations because we are ready to kill any enemy we are dealing with.
Al Jazeera: Do you think you are well equipped to end the war in Nigeria, which has been ruled by insurgents for more than a decade?
Musa: One of my biggest challenges is not having the necessary weapons. Even if you have the money to buy it, it's hard to get it. When we go to other countries, even if we have money, getting it can be a problem. If I could receive one percent of what is being given to Ukraine, I assure you that Nigeria would be the most peaceful country in the world. But even if you have money, it's difficult. If we have money to buy weapons, why can't we get them? We don't produce them. President Bola Tinubu has directed that our defense industrial cooperation must function to this end. We realized that if we didn't produce, we would be held to ransom. We don't want anyone to hold us down.
Al Jazeera: What led to Nigeria's decision to refuse to purchase some weapons to fight insurgents?
Musa: Several laws have been applied against us as to why we can't get weapons because of ECOMOG. [ECOWAS Monitoring Group] operation. ECOMOG was born over 20 years ago. Many people who were part of ECOMOG are no longer part of the system. Nigeria is known for its adherence to human rights. When you make a mistake, admit it and correct it. But we have seen countries that don't even protect human rights being freely given weapons.
Al Jazeera: Regarding human rights issues, what is the latest information on the military drone attack that killed more than 80 civilians in northern Kaduna in December?
Musa: The report is ready and will likely be released by the end of this month. The reason for the delay was that we were trying very hard to get the names of the victims, but it was very difficult to get the names. From the information we have, it is clear that this was a mistake and we are currently addressing it. Sometimes something happens and there's nothing you can do about it. We know where our shortcomings are and we are addressing them. We will never intentionally target innocent civilians for any reason.
Al Jazeera: Concerns have been expressed about the proliferation of arms and ammunition in the Sahel region.
Musa: We know the challenges we face around the world with light weapons and small arms. Its prevalence is causing great concern in Africa, particularly in Nigeria and the West African subregion. In our fight against bandits, ISWAP, Boko Haram and others, we were able to recover many missing weapons in the country. It shows that international cooperation and collaboration is needed to address this problem. Most African countries do not manufacture these weapons. These weapons pose a threat if they fall into the wrong hands. That is why the international community must take responsibility for ensuring that these weapons do not fall into the wrong hands. As for Nigeria, we are building border capacity to ensure the movement of this equipment is checkmated because we know the harm it is causing. We, the military and other members of the security forces, will ensure the protection of the weapons that we are able to duly procure.
Al Jazeera: Will the war in Ukraine and Israel's invasion of Gaza further raise concerns that weapons will end up in the hands of armed groups in the Sahel?
Musa: We call on the international community to take responsibility for ensuring that measures are taken to prevent these weapons from falling into the wrong hands. Because once these weapons are in the wrong hands, there are many criminals and jihadists ready to use them against innocent citizens.
