Former Commanding Officer, 1st Senegalese Air Force Squad, General Mansour Seck, has noted that the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) would need to amass about 3,000 to 4,000 soldiers to move to Niger and return democratic governance.
In the event that diplomatic efforts prove unsuccessful, military leaders from West Africa have affirmed their readiness to employ force in order to reinstate democracy in Niger after last month’s coup.
According to the Commissioner for Peace and Security in ECOWAS, Abdel-Fatau Musah, nearly all member states have shown dedication to providing troops and are prepared to take action in Niger if necessary.
Senegal, Benin, Nigeria, and Côte d’Ivoire have expressed their readiness to deploy troops, although they are encountering internal criticism and encountering reluctance from other nations in the West African region.
The prospect of such intervention has sparked concerns about the potential escalation of conflict, given that the military administrations in Mali and Burkina Faso have declared their alignment with their counterparts in Niger.
President Bazoum in 2022 stated that the Nigerien army comprises approximately 30,000 personnel, with around 11,000 of them actively deployed in the theater of operations.