Military chiefs from the West African bloc ECOWAS will meet in Ghana this week to discuss possible intervention in Niger, military and political sources in the region said Tuesday.The meeting was originally scheduled for last weekend but was postponed after ECOWAS leaders approved deployment of a “standby force to restore constitutional order” in Niger.Their summit, held in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, last Thursday, also reaffirmed the bloc’s preference for a diplomatic outcome.Analysts say military intervention would be operationally risky and politically hazardous, given divisions within ECOWAS ranks and domestic criticism.Niger’s military regime has sent mixed signals since the crisis erupted.At the weekend, the coup leaders said they were open to a diplomatic push after their chief, General Abdourahamane Tiani, met with Nigerian religious mediators.Those talks came after the ECOWAS military meeting in Ghana was postponed for “technical reasons.”But on Sunday night, Niger’s rulers declared they had gathered sufficient evidence to prosecute Bazoum for “high treason and undermining internal and external security.”The row overshadowed talks under African Union (AU) auspices that began on Monday in Addis Ababa, bringing together representatives from the regime and ECOWAS.Russian President Vladimir Putin called for a “peaceful political and diplomatic” resolution to the crisis in a phone call with Mali’s junta leader, Assimi Goita, the Kremlin said Tuesday.AFP
Niger: ECOWAS military chiefs to meet on directive to activate troops
