Russia has advised the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) against launching a military invasion of Niger Republic in an attempt to reinstall expelled President Mohamed Bazoum.
Gistlover remembers that ECOWAS leaders met in Abuja on Thursday and agreed to send a “standby force” to help restore constitutional democracy in the country.
ECOWAS Chairperson and Nigerian President Bola Tinubu also stated at the meeting that “no option is off the table, including the use of force as a last resort.”
The invasion of the West African country, according to the ministry, might destabilize the state of affairs in the Sahara-Sahel region as a whole.
In a statement issued on Friday, Russia’s foreign ministry said the military intervention in Niger might worsen the crisis and lead to a protracted conflict.
The statement reads: “We believe that a military solution to the crisis in Niger could lead to a protracted confrontation in that African country and to a sharp destabilisation of the situation in the Sahara-Sahel region as a whole.”
According to Gistlover, supporters of the Niger junta were spotted carrying Russian flags and yelling “down with France, down with ECOWAS” as they protested outside a French military post near the capital Niamey on Friday.
France and the United States both maintain military bases in Niger, which they have used to conduct operations against rebels in the region.
