The President of Côte d’Ivoire, Alassane Ouattara, provided an update on the extraordinary summit held on Thursday regarding the situation in Niger. In essence, he confirmed that ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States) will activate and deploy its standby force for a military intervention in Niger.
The situation is serious, and swift action is necessary. This is how Alassane Ouattara’s statements can be summarized, reflecting the firm stance that ECOWAS has maintained since the beginning of the crisis. In any case, it can be said that ECOWAS is not willing to let things unfold as they did in the cases of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Guinea.
After the one-week ultimatum given to the junta, ECOWAS has decided to take action. The objective is clear and well-defined. “We are determined to reinstate President Bazoum to his functions as the President of the Republic of Niger,” declared Alassane Ouattara, the ECOWAS President.
As ECOWAS had already indicated on July 30th, all means are being considered for a return to constitutional order. Since the coup leaders did not heed the ultimatum, the Heads of State have decided to take the option of military intervention seriously.
The ECOWAS standby force will be activated and ready to intervene for Bazoum’s reinstatement. This intervention plan aims to remove the junta authorities and free Mohamed Bazoum, who has been detained since July 26, 2023.
