ECOWAS sets secret D-day for military intervention into Niger

Colombo (News 1st) - Military chiefs of the West African bloc ECOWAS have decided on a secret D-day for military intervention into Niger to restore the democratically elected government that was ousted in a coup on July 26, but will do so only as a last resort, West African media reported on Saturday.

Military chiefs of 10 states in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) met on Thursday and Friday in Accra, Ghana, and made the announcement.

“We are ready to go any time the order is given. The D-day is also decided. We’ve already agreed and fine-tuned what will be required for the intervention,” ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security Abdel-Fatau Musah said.

He stressed that diplomacy would be the preferred option. But Niger's rulers have so far refused to back down.

The 10 states, all with democratically elected governments, that have said they are prepared to contribute to a military intervention force are Nigeria, Benin, Togo, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Serra Leone, Guinea-Bissau, The Gambia, and Senegal.

Three other states ruled by military dictatorships - Mali, Burkina Faso and Guinea - have sided with Niger and have threatened to militarily support its military regime if ECOWAS forces attack.

The leaders of the 10 democratic states have drawn a line in the sand after Niger became the fourth country to have its civilian government ousted by the military in the last three years.

An impoverished, landlocked nation, Niger contains some of the largest Uranium deposits in the world which are being mined by a government-owned company from France, the region's former colonial ruler. It also has U.S. and French military bases that are used to strike jihadist groups connected to al-Qaeda and ISIL that have been staging attacks throughout West Africa.