ECOWAS Chiefs of Staff to meet in Ghana to discuss deployment of force to Niger

The meeting comes after ECOWAS leaders met in Abuja, Nigeria, last week and agreed to activate the regional standby force in response to the recent coup in Niger.

The force is expected to be deployed to Niger to help restore constitutional order in the country.

The details of the deployment, including the composition of the force and the operational timeline, have not been released.

However, Nigerian President Bola Tinubu has said that deploying troops to a member country would be a "pivotal decision," and that the use of force would only be considered as a "last resort."

Experts have raised concerns about the feasibility of executing a complex and high-risk military operation.

However, ECOWAS is hoping that a "show of force" will encourage the leaders of the Niger coup to engage in dialogue.

The junta in Niger has issued warnings of dire consequences should any efforts be made to reinstate deposed President Mohamed Bazoum through military intervention.

This incident marks the third instance of unconstitutional power change in West Africa within three years.

ECOWAS consists of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Cote d'Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo.

The meeting in Accra is seen as a critical step in ECOWAS's efforts to restore constitutional order in Niger and prevent further instability in the region. (ILKHA)