Our reporter/ Burkina Faso and Mali have deployed war planes in Niger Republic following the threat of the Economic Community of West Africa (ECOWAS) troops that they were waiting for order to strike.
The regional bloc had given Niger junta a week ultimatum to reinstate President Mohamed Bazoum or face possible sanctions, including possible military action.
At the end of a two-day meeting of ECOWAS Defence Chiefs in Accra, Ghana capital, Abdel-Fatau Musah, ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, said, the d-day for military intervention has already been set aside.
“We are ready to go any time the order is given. The D-day is also decided. We’ve already agreed and fine-tuned what will be required for the intervention,” Musa said.
But the military leaders in Niger has so far ignored ECOWAS threat and vowed to defend their country against foreign invasion.
Burkina Faso, Mali and Algeria also warned that any military intervention in Niger will be considered a declaration of war against them.
The latest move of Mali and Burkina Faso was disclosed by Niger’s national television.
In a report, the television station said the military leaders from Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger convened Friday in the Nigerien capital Niamey to decide on “concrete measures” in case ECOWAS chooses to “escalate a war.”
Most of ECOWAS’s 15 member states are prepared to contribute to the joint force, except Cape Verde and those also under military rule – Mali, Burkina Faso and Guinea.
Leave a Reply