President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Olamikan Gbemiga / AP
Nigeria: Troops ready to move in if junta doesn't give up
Nigeria is increasing the pressure on the military junta in neighboring Niger, AFP reports.
As recently as Sunday, President Bola Tinubu, through the partner organization Ecowas, said the military junta had one week to reinstate democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum.
Now the country's commander-in-chief states that the country's forces are ready to go in, if the president so wishes.
Nigeria is expected to try to use its position in the region to restore order, but the conditions could be better. The country is already involved in a number of conflicts and is fighting local jihadist groups, criminals and separatists, among other things.
The leader of the military junta in Burkina Faso, Ibrahim Traore. Kilaye Bationo / AP
Warning from other countries: Was an attack on us all
The military juntas in Burkina Faso and Mali take a stand for the rebels in Niger, reports CNN. In recorded statements, they have made it clear that a military intervention by Nigeria or the partner organization Ecowas, would be seen as a declaration of war against them as well.
- We want to warn of the catastrophic consequences that could arise if a military intervention is made in Niger, says Jean Emmanuel Ouédraogo, spokesperson for the junta in Burkina Faso.
Cameron Hudson, an analyst at the think tank CSIS in Washington, believes that the situation is complicated on many levels - not least because the deposed president in Niger is considered to be in a hostage situation. Hudson further believes that the threat from the military juntas should be taken seriously.
- What we see now is a split between military-ruled states and democratic countries. Those tensions arise in several parts of Africa, he says.
French citizens waiting to be evacuated from Niger. Sam Mednick / AP
The first evacuation flight from Niger has landed in Paris
The first of several evacuation flights from Niger has landed in Paris during the night, writes the BBC. On board were 262 people, mostly French but also other European citizens.
After last week's military coup in the country where the popularly elected president Mohamed Bazoum was deposed, unrest has broken out in the country. This weekend, thousands of people demonstrated in a protest organized by the new military leadership. Windows were smashed and a door was set on fire at the French embassy.
The military leadership had then spread information that France had plans to intervene militarily in Niger, something that France denies.
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