On August 7, Monday, Niger Republic stated that it was anticipating a reply from ECOWAS, the regional bloc of West Africa. This comes after the coup leaders missed a deadline to restore the deposed president to his position.
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has announced that it will release a statement regarding its upcoming actions in response to the junta’s refusal to step down by Sunday. The EU, US, France, and Russia have expressed their hopes for a peaceful resolution to the situation.
ECOWAS has taken a hard stance on the July 26 power grab, the region’s seventh coup in three years.
The defense chiefs of ECOWAS have come to a consensus on a potential military course of action in the event that the imprisoned president, Mohamed Bazoum, is not freed and reinstated. However, they specified that the ultimate decisions regarding the timing and location of any operations will be made by the heads of state.
Given its uranium and oil riches and its pivotal role in a war with Islamist militants, Niger holds economic and strategic importance for the United States, Europe, China, and Russia.
On Sunday, as the ECOWAS deadline expired, the junta closed its airspace and said there had been a pre-deployment of military forces to its borders in preparation for intervention.
“Niger’s armed forces and all our defense and security forces, backed by the unfailing support of our people, are ready to defend the integrity of our territory,” said a Niger military representative in a statement on national television on Monday.
ALSO, READ
England Beat Nigeria 4-2 On Penalties To Reach World Cup Quarter-Finals
