West African Countries Plan to Deploy Standby Troops in Niger
- Regional bloc says force still on table but pursuing diplomacy
- July 26 coup follows string of putsches in the region
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West Africa’s economic bloc moved closer to intervening to overturn a coup in Niger, as global outrage grew over the treatment of deposed President Mohamed Bazoum.
The 15-nation Economic Community of West African States activated a standby military force, ramping up pressure on the junta, which has withheld food, water and power from Bazoum since taking him hostage on July 26. The bloc will continue to pursue a diplomatic solution to the crisis, said Bola Tinubu, the president of neighboring Nigeria who currently chairs Ecowas.