Is Niger in the process of tipping over? The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) on Thursday ordered the deployment of a “standby force” to restore constitutional order in this Sahelian country, and which should intervene “as soon as possible “, according to Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara.
ECOWAS, which nevertheless still hopes to reach a peaceful resolution to the crisis, has not specified any timetable, nor the number or origin of the soldiers making up this “standby force”. L’Express summarizes the latest information for you.
Green light for operation
On his return to Abidjan, the Ivorian president declared that the heads of state of ECOWAS had given the green light for the operation “to start as soon as possible”. Alassane Ouattara specified that Côte d’Ivoire “will provide a battalion” of 850 to 1,100 men, alongside Nigeria and Benin in particular, and that “other countries” will join them. “The putschists can decide to leave tomorrow morning and there will be no military intervention, everything depends on them,” he said.
However, the West African bloc is not ruling out the diplomatic route to restore Mohamed Bazoum, the elected president overthrown on July 26 and detained since. At the end of the Abuja summit, Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, who holds the rotating presidency of ECOWAS, said he hoped “to reach a peaceful resolution”, adding that resorting to force as a “last resort” was not excluded. He had declared a few hours earlier that the negotiation with the military regime in Niger should be the “basis” of the “approach” of the organization.
And the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Omar Touray, reaffirmed “the continued commitment to the restoration of constitutional order, through peaceful means”.
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France supports ECOWAS
France expressed Thursday evening its full support for the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) which validated the military option, while providing a last chance for a peaceful outcome to the crisis. Paris supports “all the conclusions adopted on the occasion of the extraordinary summit” of ECOWAS in Abuja, including the decision to activate the deployment of a “standby force”, meant the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The United States pleads for a peaceful solution
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken pleaded on Thursday for a “peaceful resolution to the crisis” in Niger. “The United States appreciates ECOWAS’ determination to explore all options for a peaceful resolution to the crisis,” Antony Blinken said in a statement, referring to the Economic Community of West African States.