The military intervention in Niger by the Economic Community of West Africa (ECOWAS) is a last resort to restore constitutional order in the country, and not the next step, Ajuri Ngelale, spokesman for the President of Nigeria, said on Channels Television.
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“The position is that military intervention (ECOWAS) is not what we are striving for with all our might. It will not be that tomorrow morning we will wake up and declare war on a neighboring state. This is what remains on the table as a last resort. President (Bola Tinubu of Nigeria) agrees that this is a last resort and not the next step,” Ngelale said.
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At the same time, the press secretary of the President of Nigeria noted that the ECOWAS countries intend to restore the constitutional order in Niger by any means.
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“All the (ECOWAS) leaders agree, their consensus, common position is that all options must remain on the table to restore constitutional order in Niger,” Ngelale added.
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At the end of July, the military of Niger announced on national television the removal of President Mohamed Bazum from power and the formation of the National Council for the Defense of the Fatherland (CNSP). The leaders of most Western countries and the regional organization ECOWAS condemned the coup. In early August, the participants in the emergency meeting of the Chiefs of General Staff of the Armed Forces of the ECOWAS countries held in Abuja (Nigeria) adopted a plan in case of military intervention in Niger.
