Abuja [Nigeria], August 19 : The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has agreed to a "D-Day" for the possible military intervention to restore the democracy in Niger after the Presidential Guard toppled the government and removed President Mohamed Bazoum last month, Al Jazeera reported.
The ECOWAS agreed on Friday to activate a standby force as a last resort if diplomatic efforts fail, a senior official said without disclosing when that is.
“We are ready to go any time the order is given,” ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security Abdel-Fatau Musah said during the closing ceremony of a two-day meeting of West African army chiefs in Ghana’s capital, Accra.
“The D-day is also decided. We’ve already agreed and fine-tuned what will be required for the intervention,” he said, emphasising that ECOWAS was still seeking to engage peacefully with Niger’s military leaders, as per Al Jazeera.
“As we speak, we are still readying mediation mission into the country, so we have not shut any door,” he added.
The defence chiefs met to fine-tune details of the potential military operation to restore Bazoum if ongoing negotiations with the coup leaders fail, reported Al Jazeera.
“Let no one be in doubt that if everything else fails, the valiant forces of West Africa, both the military and the civilian components, are ready to answer to the call of duty,” Musah said.
Niger has been engulfed in political chaos since late last month when President Mohamed Bazoum was ousted in a coup d’etat by the presidential guard. Bazoum has said he has been deprived of all human contact and was given just dry rice and pasta by the military junta, CNN reported.
The Niger junta on Sunday even stated that it had gathered evidence to prosecute the country’s ousted President Mohamed Bazoum for “high treason."
The coup has drawn severe criticism from the West, especially the US and France. However, African countries like Mali, Burkina Faso, and Guinea have expressed support for Niger’s new military authorities.
Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor