In the wake of the coup in Niger, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has threatened to hold Russia accountable if the Wagner Group, a private military contractor, violates human rights.
Mali, a different West African country, had a different agreement with the military company, according to Ambassador Abdel-Fatau Musah, the ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace, and Security, who made the statement on Friday, August 11.
It appears that the Wagner Group is currently in Mali. Musah told Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily that the Mali government claimed this was a deal between them and the Russian Federation.
“We want to take them at their word, so if they do anything to violate human rights or cause destruction in our region through these private military contractors, we will hold the other nations in our region accountable.”. “.
The ECOWAS official clarified, “That’s Russia — (we will hold them) responsible, diplomatically,” when asked if he meant Russia. Simply put, Russia is not the West African region. “.
In Sierra Leone, private military companies were active. Long ago, they were involved in Liberia’s civil wars. Private military firms have been used in recent times in international conflicts, he continued.
“The Americans are using them in Afghanistan and Iraq, among other places. Even though these groups are present in Africa, we are going to hold their countries of origin accountable for any violations because we can clearly see that they are not welcome there. “.
The ECOWAS commissioner also emphasized the military companies currently operating in Niger, including those from France and the European Union (EU). He also noted that Middle Eastern countries like Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia had migrated to the area.
“What we are saying is that West Africa won’t ever again serve as a theater for proxy conflicts. And that’s how we feel about Wagner. We don’t have a choice,” he said.
We don’t want private military companies to interfere with the conflict situation in the area because we are aware of the repercussions of their actions. “.
