We are ready to storm Niger – ECOWAS troops declare

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) troops have stated that they are prepared to join a standby force that may intervene in Niger.

The Defence Chiefs declared today, August 17, at a meeting in Accra, Ghana’s capital, that they were ready to reinstate civil authority in Niger. All member governments, with the exception of those that are governed militarily and Cape Verde, have pledged their preparedness to join the standby force. Abdel-Fatau Musah, the commissioner for ECOWAS, was quoted to have said this.

General Christopher Gwabin Musa, the Chief of Defence Staff of Nigeria, was further quoted by the media as saying, “Democracy is what we stand for and it’s what we encourage.”

“The focus of our gathering is not simply to react to events, but to proactively chart a course that results in peace and promote stability.”

A division in the area between its coastal nations and those in the unstable Sahel was revealed by Burkina Faso and Mali, which have both witnessed several coups since 2020. They warned that any military action in Niger would be deemed an act of war.

President Mohamed Bazoum was overthrown by presidential guards, and ECOWAS gave the military a seven-day deadline to reinstate the president or face sanctions, including potential military intervention.