The military chiefs of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) will meet on Thursday and Friday in Accra, Ghana, amid tensions over a possible military intervention in the Republic of Niger, according to Ghana’s army spokesman.
ECOWAS member states had initially mulled a military intervention against those who carried out Niger’s coup.
The bloc’s heads of state had ordered a military force to be prepared to restore constitutional order during a special summit.
However, they said a peaceful resolution of the conflict should continue to be pursued.
Recall that ECOWAS defence ministers and military chiefs had already met last week after the coup in Niger.
They drafted deployment plans after they issued an ultimatum against the putschists.
Among the 15 ECOWAS members, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Senegal, Guinea-Bissau and Benin declared their willingness to provide troops in the case of an intervention.
NAN reports that Guinea, Burkina Faso and Mali, which were suspended from ECOWAS after their own coups, as is Niger now, want to support the junta in Niger militarily in the event of an intervention.
Niger coup: ECOWAS military chiefs to meet again in Ghana amid unrest