Talking after an emergency Ecowas summit in Abuja, President Bola Tinubu of Nigeria warned that "no option is taken off the tables including the use of force as the last resort". He added: "If we don't do it, no one else will do it for us. We remain steadfast in our commitment to supporting Niger towards peaceful and democratic stability in the country."
Earlier Tinubu had appeared to step away from the imminent use of force despite a deadline expiring last weekend, which analysts said strongly suggested the regional grouping was reluctant to go to war.
In his opening speech Tinubu had said "diplomatic negotiations and dialogue" should be "the bedrock" of the Ecowas reponse to the crisis, and barely mentioned the earlier threat to send thousands of troops into Niger following a coup d'etat there by disgruntled army officers on 26 July.
This story is from the August 11, 2023 edition of The Guardian.
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This story is from the August 11, 2023 edition of The Guardian.
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