By John Ikani
The Committee of Chiefs of Defence Staff within the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has initiated the activation of the ECOWAS Standby Force.
The move is geared towards the reinstatement of constitutional order in the Republic of Niger.
According to a statement released by the ECOWAS commission on Wednesday, the development follows the directive of the Authority of Heads of State and Government.
The directive was issued during an Extraordinary Summit held on August 10 in Nigeria’s capital, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The Chiefs of Defence Staff are set to convene an extraordinary meeting in Accra, Ghana, starting from August 17.
The primary purpose of this meeting is to finalize the plans for the deployment of the Force.
Call for Volunteers
Amidst these developments, the people of Niger are expressing their readiness for potential conflict against neighbouring regional countries.
The development is coming just three weeks after the nation’s democratically elected president was removed from power by soldiers.
Reports suggest that residents of Niamey, the capital city, are actively advocating for the large-scale recruitment of volunteers.
The volunteers would provide support to the national army in countering the perceived threat from the “ECOWAS army.”
Taking the lead in this endeavour is a group of local individuals in Niamey.
The objective is to attract tens of thousands of volunteers from all corners of the country to enrol in the “Volunteers for the Defence of Niger” program.
To kickstart this recruitment effort, an event is scheduled to launch on Saturday in Niamey.
Also, similar drives will take place in cities bordering Nigeria and Benin.
Both countries have expressed their intention to participate in an intervention aimed at reinstating democratic governance in Niger.
