ECOWAS orders immediate standby force against Niger junta

The West African regional bloc has forged ahead with its plan to form a military force to stand against Niger's junta and restore the ousted president to his post.

Two weeks have passed since Niger’s military coup resulted in the ouster of former President Mohamed Bazoum on July 26, the seventh coup in West and Central Africa in three years and the fifth in West Africa – after Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso and Chad – whose government has been toppled by its military since 2020.

Meeting in Abuja on Thursday, leaders from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) called for forging ahead with a regional standby force to restore constitutional order in the coup-hit country.

ECOWAS leaders agreed on ordering the “activation” and the “deployment” of a regional standby force. However, it is not yet clear what this would entail.

The bloc's leaders pledged to enforce sanctions, travel bans and asset freezes on the junta leaders of Niger.

The West African regional bloc has also called for dialog, emphasizing that a “determination to keep all options on the table for the peaceful resolution of the crisis.”

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara said he depicted the detention of Bazoum as "a terrorist act" and promised to supply a battalion of troops to the ECOWAS coalition forces.

In the meantime, as tensions escalate between Niger's new military government and the West African regional bloc, Niger's junta threatened to kill the ousted president, who is in military detention, if ECOWAS did deploy its coalition forces for an invasion of the country.

SS