August 17, (THEWILL) – The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) says most of its member states are ready to participate in a standby force to restore constitutional order in Niger Republic.
Although ECOWAS defence chiefs, at its meeting in Accra, Ghana, on Thursday, had backed the calls for dialogue to reinstate ousted President Mohamed Bazoum, the group, however, said all elements that would go into any military intervention had been worked out and were being refined.
West African leaders had, last Thursday, at its Extraordinary Summit held in Abuja, Nigeria, directed its military chiefs to be on standby for possible military intervention in Niger to reinstate ousted President Mohamed Bazoum.
According to Al Jazeera, ECOWAS Commissioner, Abdel-Fatau Musah, said all member states, except those under military rule and Cape Verde, pledged readiness to participate in the standby force.
The medium further quoted Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, to have said: “Democracy is what we stand for and it’s what we encourage.
“The focus of our gathering is not simply to react to events but to proactively chart a course that results in peace and promotes stability.”
