Reuters. The West African bloc ECOWAS stands ready to intervene militarily in Niger should diplomatic efforts to reverse a coup there fail, a senior official told army chiefs who were meeting in Ghana on Thursday (August 17) to discuss the details of a standby force.
ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security Abdel-Fatau Musah accused the junta that deposed President Mohamed Bazoum on July 26 of "playing cat-and-mouse" with the bloc by refusing to meet with envoys and seeking justifications for the takeover.
Musah strongly criticized the junta's announcement that it had elements to put Bazoum, who is being detained, on trial for treason.
The United Nations, European Union and ECOWAS have all expressed concerns over the conditions of his detention.
