ECOWAS activates rapid response forces to restore Niger order
The association announced that the ECOWAS Committee of Chiefs of Defense Staff will meet in the Ghana capital city of Accra on August 17-18 to discuss the final plan of deployment of the rapid response forces in Niger, TASS reported.
ECOWAS leaders agreed to begin a military operation in Niger as soon as possible, the president of Cote d’Ivoire said earlier in August upon his return from the organization’s summit in Abuja, Nigeria.
In late July, a group of officers from Niger’s Presidential Guard launched a coup and announced that President Mohamed Bazoum was deposed.
The National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland (Conseil National pour la sauvegarde de la patrie, CNSP) was formed to govern the country and was headed by General Abdurahmane Tchiani. Bazoum is still in custody at his residence but can talk with leaders and representatives of other countries over the phone.
The leaders of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), to which Niger is also a member, demanded that Bazoum be released by August 7. Since the demand was not met in time, the leaders of the community met again on August 10.
In a statement released after the summit, the organization said in a communique that it was committed to a peaceful solution but ready to consider all options for settling the Nigerien crisis.
The West African bloc said, “All options for restoring the constitutional order in Niger are on the table.”
Meanwhile, Burkina Faso and Mali expressed solidarity with the people of Niger and condemned the imposition of sanctions by ECOWAS against Niamey, stating that such measures only “exacerbate the suffering of the people and jeopardize the spirit of Pan-Africanism.” Both states warned that they would consider such a step as an attack on themselves.
