Niger opens military recruitment to fend off ECOWAS intervention
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Reportedly, tens of thousands of volunteers across Niger are expected by recruiters to join combat units alongside the Nigerien armed forces.
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Nigerien soldiers stand guard as supporters of Niger's National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland (CNSP) gather for a demonstration in Niamey on August 11, 2023 near a French airbase in Niger (AFP)
According to Sputnik, Niger will open military recruitment centers for volunteers on Saturday in an effort to amp up the army ahead of a possible intervention by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in light of the ongoing coup.
Tens of thousands of volunteers across Niger are expected by recruiters to join combat units alongside the Nigerien armed forces' medical, technical, and engineering logistics units.
This comes the same after ECOWAS announced that it had agreed on a 'D-Day' for the possible military intervention in Niger, aimed at allegedly "restoring democracy" in Niger, according to the ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security Abdel-Fatau Musah.
That also followed a few days after ECOWAS leaders met in the Ghanaian capital of Accra on Thursday to discuss the situation, as Nigeriens already launched a nationwide recruitment campaign to gather volunteers for the Armed Forces on Thursday.
Read next: 17 Nigerien soldiers dead in militant ambush near Burkina Faso
During the meeting on Thursday, an ECOWAS official confirmed that out of the 15 ECOWAS member states, only Mali, Burkina Faso Guinea, and tiny Cape Verde have refused to engage in any possible upcoming intervention in Niger.
Niger's new leadership vowed last 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.
"If push comes to shove we are going into Niger with our own contingents and equipment and our own resources to make sure we restore constitutional order. If other democratic partners want to support us they are welcome," Musah said.
Musah harshly criticized the junta for declaring that it had sufficient evidence to prosecute Bazoum for treason.
Recently, in Niamey, the capital of #Niger, hundreds of protesters marched to show their disapproval of foreign pressure on coup leaders and chanted slogans against France, ECOWAS, and the EU. pic.twitter.com/aCNWllDZEH
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) August 6, 2023
