West African leaders have approved the deployment of a “standby force to restore constitutional order” in Niger, an intervention that will take place as soon as possible, Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara said Thursday. The ECOWAS regional bloc did not provide details on the force to be deployed or the timetable for action against the military officers who seized control of Niger two weeks ago, deposing Mohamed Bazoum as president. With the West African bloc backing a military ‘standby’ force for Niger, FRANCE 24’s Monte Francis is joined by Isabelle Trick, the Global Counsel’s lead Africa analyst and Associate Director in their global macro practice.
ECOWAS military intervention could explode into ‘regional conflict’ & ‘push Niger closer to Russia’
