ECOWAS army ready to invade Niger, say defence chiefs

The Economic Community of West African States Defence Chiefs have agreed a “D-day” for a possible military intervention to restore civil rule in Niger if diplomatic efforts fail.

According to Reuters, ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security Abdel-Fatau Musah, said on Friday, without disclosing when that is.

The official made the comments at the end of a two-day meeting of West African army chiefs in Ghana’s capital Accra, where they have been hashing out the logistics and strategy for a possible use of force in Niger, which ECOWAS said would be the last resort.

The ECOWAS troops a day earlier pledged readiness to participate in a standby force that would restore democracy in Niger after generals toppled and detained President Mohamed Bazoum.


All member states, except those under military rule and Cape Verde, agreed at a meeting in Accra, Ghana capital, on Thursday to activate a “standby force” as a last resort to restore democracy in Niger.

Speaking at the closing ceremony of the two-day meeting, Musah was quoted by Reuters as saying, “We are ready to go anytime the order is given.

“The D-Day is also decided. We’ve already agreed and fine-tuned what will be required for the intervention.”

By

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

FRSC confirms three injured in Kaduna tanker fire

Image
The Federal Road Safety Corps, Kaduna State Command, has confirmed an incident involving a fully loaded Liquefied Natural Gas tanker that caught fire in the Kwangila area of Zaria Local Government Area. The state Sector Commander of the corps, Mr Andrew Longkam, confirmed the incident in a statement on Sunday in Kaduna. Longkam said the tanker, belonging to Greenville Company, was parked by the roadside along the Funtua–Zaria road when a gas valve malfunctioned, leading to ignition and a fire outbreak. He said the fire affected some nearby shops and left three adult males with varying degrees of burn injuries. “The injured victims were promptly evacuated to Nakowa Hospital at Yangoro for initial treatment, and later referred to the Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital (ABUTH), Shika, for further medical care,” he said. The sector commander added that emergency responders swiftly brought the fire under control, though it briefly reignited before being completely extingu...
Read more>>>

Police rescue three underage girls from forced prostitution in Lagos

Image
Officers of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) have rescued three teenagers from prostitution at the Itamaga area of Ikorodu, Lagos State.   Spokesperson of the Lagos State Police Command, Benjamin Hundeyin, who disclosed this in a statement on Friday, January 13, 2023, identified the victims as Saviour, 14, Bright, 13 and Deborah, 12 (surnames withheld).   "The girls were rescued on January 8, 2023 at about 0600hrs when a patrol team noticed their suspicious movements within the area," the statement read.    "Upon questioning, the girls revealed that they were fleeing the custody of a mistress who brought them from Akwa Ibom to Lagos under the guise of employment.   "Preliminary investigation revealed that the victims, Saviour aged 14, Bright aged 13 and Deborah aged 12 (surnames withheld) upon reaching Lagos were locked by their mistress (still at large) in a hotel and starved for days as a means to force them into accepting prostitution. Contact ...
Read more>>>

Kevin Spacey pleads 'not guilty' to sexual assault charges in UK

Image
Actor Kevin Spacey has pleaded "not guilty" to additional sexual-assault charges filed against him in the United Kingdom.   The 63-year-old star of Oscar-winning film “American Beauty” and drama series “House of Cards” appeared at Southwark Crown Court in south London today, January 13, via video link.    This is coming after he was slammed with fresh charges involving one man in November, taking the total number of charges he faces in the UK to 12. U.K.'s Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said in a statement at the time;    "The CPS has authorized additional criminal charges against Kevin Spacey, 63, for a number of sexual assaults against one man between 2001 and 2004. "The CPS has also authorized one charge of causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent. The authority to charge follows a review of the evidence gathered by the Metropolitan Police in its investigation."   At the time ...
Read more>>>

Saudi Arabian businessman bids £2.2m for 'ticket that will allow him to meet Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi after the iconic pair face each other in Saudi All-Star's clash with PSG

Image
Saudi Arabian businessman, Mushref Al-Ghamdi has reportedly bid $2.66m (£2.2m) for the 'Beyond Imagination' ticket that would allow him to meet Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.   An auction is currently being held for the ticket which is for the game between a Saudi All-Star's XI featuring players from Al-Hilal and Al-Nassr , Ronaldo's new club and PSG in Riyadh on January 19.   The auction is set to close on January 17, and Al-Ghamdi, the general manager of real estate group AqarOne, is leading the way with his lucrative offer, according to Reuters.   After watching the match, the lucky winner will get the chance to attend the winner's ceremony and enter both dressing rooms, meaning they can meet Ronaldo and Messi. It also promises to be a special occasion, with Ronaldo in line to make his debut in Saudi Arabia after signing with Al-Nassr last month.   The 37-year-old put pen to paper on a £175m-a-year...
Read more>>>