ECOWAS military chiefs meet in Ghana on possible intervention in Niger

West African defence chiefs are meeting in Ghana’s capital Accra to consider the possible use of force to restore democracy in Niger.

Coup leaders in Niamey have refused to heed the regional bloc’s demand to reinstate President Mohamed Bazoum following the July 26 coup.

The 15-member Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has imposed sanctions on Niger and threatened the use of force, but the junta has ignored the warnings.

General Abdourahmane Tiani, who took power after the coup amid global condemnation, has said the junta is open to talks with Ecowas after initially refusing to meet with envoys.

Even with the offer, the junta has vowed to prosecute President Bazoum, whom it accuses of “high treason” for talking to foreign leaders and international organizations while in detention.

Analysts view the move as a sign the putchists are unwilling to seek a peaceful route out of the crisis.

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The region’s military leaders have met twice already in Abuja, Nigeria. The meeting in Accra started at the headquarters of Ghana’s armed forces on Thursday and end on Friday afternoon.

There are concerns any intervention could lead to a wider conflict.

Three members of the Ecowas group of countries have backed the junta. the countries — Mali, Burkina Faso, and Guinea – are also led by military rulers.

“ECOWAS has few good options … particularly as the [junta] seems unwilling for the moment to cede to outside pressure,” Andrew Lebovich, a research fellow with Dutch think tank the Clingendael Institute, told AP.

“An intervention could backfire and damage the organization in numerous ways, while a failure to extract major concessions from the (junta) could weaken the organization politically at an already fragile time.”

Niger has seen increased attacks on its service members since the coup.

On Tuesday, at least 17 Nigerien soldiers were killed and nearly two dozen wounded in the Tillaberi region in the biggest attack by insurgents in six months.