Troops of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) have declared their readiness to join the standby force to restore civil rule in Niger.
Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Christopher Gwabin Musa, made this known on Thursday, during a meeting of the Defence Chiefs in Accra, Ghana’s capital.
“Democracy is what we stand for and encourage. The focus of our gathering is not simply to react to events but to proactively chart a course that results in peace and promotes stability,” he stated.
The Accra meeting of top army commanders on Thursday and Friday comes after fresh violence in Niger, with jihadists killing at least 17 soldiers in an ambush.
Recall that ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government chaired by Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu had on July 30 issued a seven-day ultimatum to the military to restore Bazoum or risk sanctions, including possible military action.
However, the junta leaders, despite crippling raft of sanctions, have refused to release the detained President Bazoum and threatened to prosecute him for what they referred to as “high treason.”
At the meeting in Accra, Ghana, the 15-nation regional bloc’s defense chiefs decided to mobilize their standby force.
All members have pledged their allegiance to this force, with the exception of countries that are currently governed by the military and Cape Verde.