ECOWAS soldiers have indicated that they are prepared to join a force that is on standby in case it needs to intervene in the Republic of Niger.
ECOWAS gave the military a seven-day deadline to reinstate President Mohamed Bazoum after the coupists had usurped his authority. Failure to do so could result in consequences, including potential military intervention.
According to Al Jazeera, the defence chiefs declared they were ready to restore the democratic order in Niger during a meeting on Thursday in Ghana\’s capital, Accra.
On Thursday, the ECOWAS defense chiefs met in Ghana.
Leading army officers met in Accra on Thursday and Friday in the wake of recent violence in Niger, where terrorists are believed to have killed at least 17 soldiers in an ambush, according to the defense ministry.
The military suffered its worst losses since the July 26 revolution, when the presidential guard overthrew Bazoum and imprisoned him and his family, by injuring twenty more troops, six of whom were critically wounded.
For more than ten years, jihadist insurgencies have plagued Africa\’s Sahel area. They first appeared in northern Mali in 2012 before moving to nearby Niger and Burkina Faso in 2015.
Thousands of soldiers, police officers, and civilians have died as a result of the turmoil in the area, and millions of people have been forced to leave their homes.
Since 2020, Mali and Burkina Faso have seen military coups driven by rage at the bloodshed, with Niger being the most recent.
According to analysts, any ECOWAS action against the coup leaders in Niger would be politically and militarily dangerous. The organization has stated that it would prefer a diplomatic resolution.
