West African nations have given the green light for a potential armed intervention in Niger, according to Ivory Coast’s president, following a meeting to address the recent coup. Leaders of the Ecowas regional bloc, which includes multiple West African nations, discussed the situation and agreed to establish a “standby” military force for potential intervention. Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu emphasized that the use of force would only be considered as a last resort.
The military junta took control of Niger on July 26, prompting concerns from the United States and the United Nations about the wellbeing of the ousted president, Mohamed Bazoum, who has been under house arrest for over two weeks. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed worry over the reported “deplorable living conditions” of Mr. Bazoum and his family.
After the Ecowas meeting, Ivory Coast’s President Alassane Ouattara stated that Ecowas had previously intervened in African nations to reinstate constitutional order. He highlighted the similar situation in Niger and emphasized that Ecowas could not tolerate this. President Ouattara announced that Ivory Coast would contribute a battalion of 850 to 1,100 soldiers, with Nigeria, Senegral and Benin also staing they would deploy troops.
Omar Touray, the president of the Ecowas group, shared that member nations had collectively decided to deploy the Ecowas standby force to restore constitutional order in Niger. However, specific details about the composition of the force and its intended actions were not provided.
Before the meeting, religious leaders from northern Nigeria had advised President Tinubu against using force to remove the coup leaders, given the shared border between Nigeria and Niger. Nonetheless, President Tinubu conveyed after the meeting that no option was off the table, including the use of force as a last resort. He stressed the necessity of taking action to secure their interests.
The coup leaders in Niger have indicated their readiness to defend themselves against any intervention. Ecowas had set a deadline for the junta to reinstate the democratically-elected government by last Sunday, but this was disregarded, leading to the naming of a new ruling cabinet by military leaders.
Niger hosts military bases for both the US and France, which have been used to combat jihadist groups in the broader Sahel region. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken recently suggested that Russia’s Wagner mercenary group might be exploiting the instability in Niger.
