(JUST IN)Coup: We are ready to invade Niger, says ECOWAS force
Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) soldiers have indicated that they are prepared to join a force that is on standby in case Niger needs to be intervened in.
President Mohamed Bazoum was deposed by presidential guards, and ECOWAS gave the military a seven-day deadline to return him to office or face sanctions, including potential military intervention.
But the junta called off ECOWAS’ bluff and vowed to resist foreign intervention.
Subsequently, the regional bloc asked Defence Chiefs from the 15-member regional bloc to activate its standby force.
At a meeting in Accra, Ghana capital, on Thursday, the Defence Chiefs said they were prepared to restore civil rule in Niger.
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According to Al Jazeera, all member states except those under military rule and Cape Verde pledged readiness to participate in the standby force.
ECOWAS commissioner, Abdel-Fatau Musah, was quoted to have said this.
The medium further quoted Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Gwabin Musa, to have said, “Democracy is what we stand for and it’s what we encourage,”
“The focus of our gathering is not simply to react to events, but to proactively chart a course that results in peace and promote stability.”
Burkina Faso and Mali, which have experienced multiple coups since 2020, warned that any military intervention in Niger would be declared as an act of war, revealing a fracture in the region between its coastal countries and those in the volatile Sahel.
(Daily Trust)
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