West African countries have begun work on amassing troops for military intervention in Niger. This is being done because the leaders of the military coup have resisted international calls to step down and restore the ousted president to office. However, it was not yet clear how large the force could be, how long it might take to assemble and whether it would actually attack. ECOWAS has ordered the activation of standby forces two weeks after generals ousted President Mohamed Bazoum in the seventh coup in West and Central Africa in three years.
It is the first time such force would be used and has raised fears of a deepening conflict in a region where global powers have strategic interests. ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States) said that all options are on the table and they are still hopeful of a peaceful solution to the Niger crisis. Experts said it could take several weeks or more for the ECOWAS force to assemble, potentially leaving room for negotiations.
Ivory Coast's President, Alassane Ouattara, pledged to supply a battalion of soldiers for the standby force. When asked how many soldiers would be involved, a spokesman for the Ivorian army said that a battalion consists of 850 soldiers. Senegal said last week that it would contribute troops if there was an intervention. Gambia's Defense Minister Sering Modou Njie and Liberia's Information Minister Lagerhood Rennie told Reuters they had not yet made a decision on whether to send troops.
'People have no fear'
The coup in uranium-rich Niger, one of the world's poorest countries but a key ally of the West in the fight against Islamist militants in the Sahel region, was triggered by internal politics but has had ramifications well beyond its borders . American, French, German and Italian troops are stationed in Niger as part of the fight against the Islamist insurgency.
Some residents said they do not fear military intervention, but are angry with ECOWAS. Student Hama Moussa said, “We have no fear because our defense and security forces and people are together. From the moment they imposed sanctions against the people of Niger and after that they saw people rise up to fight these decisions." Issa Seidou, another student, is also angry with ECOWAS. He said, “I do not believe in military intervention.”
No request from US for military operation
France said it fully supports all the conclusions of the ECOWAS emergency summit held in Nigeria's capital Abuja, but it refrained from outlining any concrete support it could give to any possible intervention. There has not yet been an official request from ECOWAS to the French or the United States for any help for the military operation.
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