West African countries have developed a plan to send troops to Niger

West African countries have developed a plan for armed intervention in the situation in Niger, if the rebels who seized power there do not restore constitutional order and release the legally elected president of the country, Mohamed Bazum, by the beginning of next week. A representative of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) reported this on Friday, Reuters reports.

ECOWAS Commissioner for Politics, Peace and Security Abdel-Fatou Musah said that the details of the possible intervention are not disclosed. However, he said, at the meeting of ECOWAS leaders in Abuja, a detailed plan was drawn up for military intervention should it prove necessary.

The day before, the president of Niger, Bazum, who is under a convoy of rebels in his residence, appealed to the United States and the international community for help in restoring order in the country. Bazum called himself a hostage and noted that a coup in Niger could have “devastating consequences for the country, the region and the whole world.” In addition, he expressed his fear that due to the actions of the rebels and the pro-Russian sympathizing population, the entire Sahel region “may fall under the influence of Russia through the Wagner group, whose brutal terrorism was fully manifested in Ukraine.”

• The military coup in Niger began on July 26. The Presidential Guard under the leadership of its head, General Omar (Abdurakhman) Tchiana, blocked President Mohamed Bazum in his residence, where he is to this day. Tchyani proclaimed himself the new president.
• On Friday, it became known that the junta that came to power in Niger announced the termination of security agreements with France, which has an armed contingent in the country. In Paris, they said that this decision has no legal force.
• Niger is a former French colony, one of the poorest countries in the world, which annually received about 2 billion dollars in international aid. At the same time, the country is rich in natural resources, it accounts for about seven percent of the world’s uranium reserves. Gold, rare earth metals, oil and gas deposits are also mined.
• The Russian PMC “Wagner” is present in a number of African countries, in particular in Mali bordering Niger, where a coup also occurred earlier. The military junta of Mali pursues a pro-Russian policy.