West Africa’s regional bloc has ordered the immediate activation of a standby force for possible use against the junta that took power in Niger in July, saying it wanted a peaceful restoration of democracy but all options including force were on the table.
The threat of an invasion, though not specific, raises tensions in and around Niger, a uranium producer that until the coup was an important ally of the West in the fight against Islamist insurgents devastating the Sahel region.
It Is not immediately clear what the “deployment” and “activation” of the force would entail.
The junta, which seized power on July 26, had defied an August 6 deadline to stand down set by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), instead closing Niger’s airspace and vowing to defend the country against any foreign attack.
After a summit of its heads of state in the Nigerian capital Abuja, the bloc pledged to enforce sanctions, travel bans and asset freezes on those preventing the return to power of democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum.
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