ECOWAS chiefs to meet in Ghana on Thursday to discuss Niger situation
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The chiefs of staff of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) will meet in Ghana on Thursday and Friday to discuss a possible military intervention in Niger.
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Senegal's President Macky Sall, left, waves upon arrival for the ECOWAS meeting in Abuja, Nigeria, Thursday, Aug. 10, 2023. (AP)
The Economic Community of West African States' (ECOWAS) chiefs of staff are set to meet in the Ghanaian capital of Accra on Thursday to discuss the situation in Niger after a new leadership seized power in late July.
The meeting was initially scheduled for last Saturday but was postponed due to troop unpreparedness.
Talks between the chiefs of staff are expected to continue through Friday. A possible military intervention in Niger could be discussed at the meeting.
Earlier on Wednesday, citizens of Niger boosted preparations for a military attack by some of their African neighbors, as Western-backed ECOWAS increased its threats in the past few days after deploying a “standby force" and greenlighting an operation "as soon as possible."
Nigeriens in Niamey launched a nationwide recruitment campaign to gather thousands of civilian volunteers to help the Armed Forces repel a possible military action. Individuals signing up could also assist with medical efforts and join engineering, logistics, and technical teams, among other forms of contributions, Amsarou Bako, one of the founders, told the Associated Press on Tuesday.
"It’s an eventuality. We need to be ready whenever it happens," he told the news agency, confirming that the new leadership is not part of the movement, yet aware of it.
Niger's new leadership vowed on Sunday to prosecute ousted President Mohamed Bazoum for "high treason and undermining the internal and external security of Niger," slamming the West African leaders for imposing sanctions against the country.
ECOWAS on Niger
ECOWAS has resorted to implementing a full pressure campaign on the country, which included the closure of land and air borders between the bloc's countries and Niger, the suspension of all commercial and financial transactions with it, and the freezing of the country's assets in ECOWAS Central Banks.
Military chiefs of the West African bloc will meet in Ghana on Thursday and Friday - a meeting that was set last Saturday but was postponed due to "technical issues" - to discuss a possible military invasion in Niger, regional military and political sources confirmed on Tuesday.
“A military intervention with no end in sight risks triggering a regional war, with catastrophic consequences for the vast Sahel that is already plagued by insecurity, displacement, and poverty,” said Mucahid Durmaz, senior analyst at Verisk Maplecroft, a global risk intelligence company.
The interim governments of Mali and Burkina Faso warned that any military intervention against Niger would be considered a declaration of war against them.
