West African defence chiefs are said to be currently holding a second day of talks in Ghana on possible armed intervention to restore civil rule in the Niger Republic should diplomatic efforts to reverse a coup there fail.
According to Al Jazeera, the defence chiefs are expected to announce any next steps at a closing ceremony on Friday evening.
Troops of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), a day earlier pledged readiness to participate in a standby force that would restore democracy in Niger after generals toppled and detained President Mohamed Bazoum.
All member states, except those under military rule and Cape Verde, agreed at a meeting in Accra, Ghana’s capital, on Thursday to activate a “standby force” as a last resort to restore democracy in Niger.
ECOWAS defence chiefs are having a two-day meeting in the Ghanaian capital, Accra, to fine-tune details of a potential military operation to restore Bazoum if continuing negotiations with coup leaders fail.
This is even as the African Union (AU) has warned against violence in the effort to restore constitutional democracy in Niger.