NIAMEY: Niger’s coup leaders have recalled their envoy from Abidjan, Ivory Coast, after President Alassane Ouattara, in a statement, supported early military action in the country to restore constitutional order, AFP reported on Monday.
Ouattara, after attending an emergency ECOWAS conference on Niger crisis in Abuja, Nigeria, said a consensus had been reached among Western African states to start the military action as soon as possible.
Coup leaders said Ouattara’s statement amounted to “praising armed action” against Niger.
Ouattara added Ivory Coast would contribute a battalion of between 850 and 1,100 troops alongside Nigeria and Benin.
He said ECOWAS are determined to restore the democratically elected President of Niger Mohamed Bazoum.
Niger Military Leaders Recall Envoy From I.Coast
Niger’s coup leaders, in a statement, said the haste of ECOWAS to start military operation in Niger is orchestrated by certain outside powers.
The statement further said the leaders and the government of Niger express their total rejection of the remarks made by Ouattara.
Earlier, the African bloc ECOWAS had given a week to the coup leaders in Niger to restore the democratic government or face military intervention.
However, the efforts by ECOWAS or other states to resolve the crisis in the country have failed to make any progress so far.
ECOWAS has already imposed trade and financial sanctions on Niger after the military coup in the country on July 26.
Niger has played a key role in Western strategies to fight and combat jihadist insurgencies with the support of France and the United States.
