The junta in Niger has vowed to kill deposed President Mohamed Bazoum if neighboring countries intervene militarily to restore him.
According to The Associated Press, two “Western officials” stated the putschists made the threat while chatting with a top US diplomat.
This happened as the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) said that it has authorised the deployment of a “standby force” to restore democracy in Niger after its deadline to reinstate Bazoum’s administration expired on Sunday.
The threat to the deposed president raises the stakes for both ECOWAS and the junta, which has demonstrated its propensity to escalate its actions since seizing control on July 26.
Niger was seen as the final country in the Sahel region south of the Sahara Desert with whom Western nations could collaborate to combat jihadi violence related to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group, which has killed thousands and displaced millions.
The international community is frantically trying to find a peaceful way out of the country’s leadership dilemma.
According to the AP, a Western military officer, who spoke on the condition of anonymity due to the delicacy of the matter, said members of the junta informed US Under Secretary of State Victoria Nuland of the threat against Bazoum during her visit to the country this week.
According to reports, a US official verified that allegation, speaking on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.
Threats from both sides raise tensions, but should push them closer to talking, according to Aneliese Bernard, a former US State Department official specializing in African issues who is now the director of Strategic Stabilization Advisors, a risk advising organization.
“Still, this junta has escalated its moves so quickly that it’s possible they do something more extreme, as that has been their approach so far,” she cautioned.
Nine leaders from the 15-member West African bloc gathered in Abuja on Thursday to plan their future actions.
Following the talks, ECOWAS Commission President Omar Alieu Touray stated that he could only reiterate the decisions of “the military authorities in the subregion to deploy a standby force of the community.”
Financing has been discussed, and “appropriate measures have been taken,” he stated.
He chastised the junta for any suffering caused by the sanctions imposed on Niger and stated that the bloc would take future action jointly.
“It is not one country against another country. The community has instruments to which all members have subscribed to,” he said.
According to a former British Army official who has served in Nigeria, the ECOWAS statement might be interpreted as a green light to begin assembling forces with the eventual goal of restoring constitutional order.
Concerning the use of force, the official, who was not authorized to speak to the media, stated that Nigerian forces were currently in place. It’s unlikely they’d enter without facilitators and the assistance of other regional troops, according to the official.
ECOWAS has placed heavy economic and travel penalties on Niger, but analysts believe it may be out of alternatives as support for involvement dwindles. The group has failed to prevent previous coups in the region: Niger is the fourth of its member countries to be overthrown in the last three years.
