In a new development of the repercussions of the military coup in Niger, the President of Ivory Coast, Alassane Ouattara, announced that “West African countries agreed to military intervention in Niger as soon as possible,” following a meeting to discuss the coup.
The leaders of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) said, in a statement read by the chair of the group’s commission, Omar Touari, that “they agreed to deploy a military reserve force that would be ready to move.”
The Russian Foreign Ministry warned against any military intervention in Niger, noting that “this would destabilize the deeply troubled African country.”
“We believe that a military solution to the crisis in Niger could lead to a prolonged confrontation in this African country and to a sharp destabilization of the entire Sahara-Sahel region,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.