The Trades Union Congress (TUC) has condemned the resolve of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to deploy a Standby Force to Niger to restore democracy.

“We hold a strong view that any attempt to remove the Tchiani-led military junta in Niger by force will further escalate the tension and the insecurity in the region,” Dr Yaw Baah, Secretary General of TUC, said in a statement copied to the Ghana News Agency.

This follows a meeting held by the TUC on August 18, 2023, in Accra to discuss the situation in Niger.

According to the TUC, there was simply no reason for ECOWAS to wage a war in Niger, more so when there was no consensus among ECOWAS members.  

“A war in Niger or anywhere in the region has a very great potential to create the environment for more insurgents and even more coup d’etats in the region, which may lead to further instability and insecurity.

“None can impose democracy on any country until and unless the people themselves are ready for it,” the statement added.

The TUC noted that it believed that through diplomacy, constitutional order could be re-established in the Republic of Niger if ECOWAS leaders engaged the military junta in good faith, “with clean hearts and clear minds”.  

It urged the military junta to return Niger to constitutional rule immediately to preempt any “senseless war in our region”.

The leadership condemned the coup and said any act that disturbed the constitutional order in any country needed to be condemned because it took that

society back to the old order where a few people illegally took and usurped power that belonged to the people.  

“The TUC will always support democracy because that is the only way to ensure respect for constitutional order, respect for rule of law, respect for human rights, including the rights of workers, separation of powers and respect for the rights of women and men as groups and as individuals,” the statement added.

The TUC said all efforts should, therefore, be made to deepen and sustain democracy on the continent by creating and strengthening democratic institutions.