Defence leaders from West Africa's Ecowas bloc are meeting in Ghana on Thursday to discuss a potential military intervention in Niger, whose president was ousted in a coup. The talks come amid disagreement between African countries over the idea of foreign military action, after Ecowas said it would prepare a standby force to restore order in Niger.
Originally scheduled for Saturday, the meeting in Accra was put back as Ecowas carried on its negotiations with the junta in Niger, which has given mixed signals about its willingness to engage in dialogue.
Ecowas has said it favours a diplomatic outcome to the crisis, which began when General Abdourahmane Tchiani, commander of the Niger presidential guard, led a coup d'etat that toppled elected leader Mohamed Bazoum.
The approval of a standby force came after the junta ignored an Ecowas-imposed deadline to reinstate and release Bazoum, whose 2021 election marked the first peaceful transfer of power since Niger's independence from France in 1960.
It also comes after the junta on Sunday said it had gathered enough evidence to prosecute Bazoum for "high treason and undermining internal and external security" - despite earlier indicating it was open to dialogue with Ecowas.
Call for volunteer fighters
The Associated Press reported that residents in the capital, Niamey, were calling for the mass recruitment of volunteers to assist the army in the face of the "growing threat" by Ecowas.
A resident involved in the drive told AP they hoped to recruit tens of thousands of volunteers from across the country to fight, help with medical care and provide technical and engineering support.
"It's an eventuality. We need to be ready whenever it happens," the resident, Amsarou Bako, said.
As well as the capital, the recruitment drive is targeting cities where foreign forces might enter, such as near the borders with Nigeria and Benin.
AU opposition
The African Union (AU), said to be concerned by the rising number of coups in West Africa, is reportedly opposed to any military intervention by Ecowas.
French daily Le Monde said it had spoken to sources from the AU's Peace and Security Council, the body appointed to decide on conflict resolution issues, who decided to reject the deployment of a foreign military force after a tense meeting on Monday.
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It's unclear when or if the force will invade Niger, but a diplomat told Le Monde the AU was worried that military action would trigger a bloody civil war.
At the same meeting, the council reportedly chose to temporarily suspend Niger from all AU activities.
While several countries in West Africa have indicated that they are prepared to send troops as part of a regional force, governments in north, southern and central Africa object, diplomatic sources told RFI.
