Ecowas Military Chiefs Meet to Discuss Possible Intervention in Niger.
Military leaders from the West African regional organization, Ecowas, are convening to deliberate on the deployment of a standby force for potential military action to restore democratic governance in Niger.
The two-day gathering is being held in Accra, the capital of Ghana, spanning Thursday and Friday.
With the backing of at least 11 out of the 15 Ecowas member states, the proposal for military intervention to reinstate the democratically elected president, Mohamed Bazoum, gained momentum after diplomatic attempts yielded no positive outcomes.
However, three Ecowas countries that are currently under military rule themselves – Mali, Burkina Faso, and Guinea – have expressed support for the junta.
The leaders of the coup in Niger have issued a warning, asserting their readiness to counter any external intervention.
The discussions during the Accra meeting will revolve around determining the necessary resources, the troop strength required, and establishing a standard operational procedure for potential combat actions.
Ghana and Nigeria, having previously led interventions through the Ecowas Ceasefire Monitoring Group (Ecomog), notably in Liberia and Sierra Leone during the 1990s, have experience in such initiatives. Ecowas has also intervened in other member nations and, more recently, in The Gambia.
The timing of this meeting coincides with a deteriorating security environment in Niger. In a recent attack by Islamist militants, 17 soldiers lost their lives while 20 others were wounded on Tuesday.
