ECOWAS countries are ready for military intervention in Niger

The goal of the Union of West African States is to restore constitutional order.

According to the organization, the West African group of states, ECOWAS, is ready for military intervention in Niger if the order is given. ECOWAS Committee Chairman Abdelfattou Musa said on Friday after a meeting in Ghana’s capital, Accra, that ECOWAS will not engage in an endless dialogue. The goal is to restore constitutional order in the shortest possible time.

The date of the intervention has not been announced. Military leaders in the ECOWAS states previously discussed how to move forward after the military coup in Niger for two days. 15 West African countries belong to ECOWAS, including Niger itself, and ECOWAS has so far confirmed that it wants to do everything it can to find a diplomatic solution.

He demanded the release of President Bazoum

Like the African Union, the European Union and the United Nations, ECOWAS is calling for the immediate release of Niger’s legitimate president, Mohamed Bazoum, who has been under house arrest since the coup. However, on Sunday the junta announced its desire to indict Bazoum for high treason. ECOWAS reacted angrily and declared that this was a provocation by the coup leaders, contradicting the desire for a peaceful solution to the crisis. Accordingly, the meeting of military leaders now serves the purpose of preparing for a military operation.

The 2021 Bazoum elections marked the first democratic transfer of power in Niger, which has seen the military phase of four coups since independence from France in 1960. European soldiers are currently stationed in Niger as part of the EU’s mission to ensure stability. A possible military operation by ECOWAS in Niger has raised fears of further destabilization in the Sahel region.