Niger's Military Is On "Maximum Alert" Due To Concerns About An ECOWAS Strike.
The armed forces were told to be on high alert by Niger's new military rulers due to an elevated threat of attack.
The leaders of the July 26 coup have been the subject of negotiations between the main West African grouping, ECOWAS, and the group, but ECOWAS has stated that if such efforts fail, it is prepared to send in the military to restore constitutional order.
The order to be in the greatest possible state of readiness was given by the country's defense commander, according to an internal memo that was widely distributed online on Saturday. It stated that doing so would allow forces to respond appropriately to any attack and "avoid a general surprise."
Although a military intervention remained a possibility, ECOWAS downplayed this danger and declared on Friday that it is "determined to bend backwards to accommodate diplomatic efforts".
Omar Alieu Touray, the president of the ECOWAS Commission, told reporters, "For the avoidance of doubt, let me state unambiguously that ECOWAS has neither declared war on the people of Niger nor is there a plot, as it is being reported, to invade the country.
Fears of an escalation that might further destabilize the area's rebel-infested Sahel region have been voiced in response to the bloc's decision earlier in August to deploy a so-called standby force for a potential operation.
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