RABAT, August 11. /TASS/. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is putting its forces on combat alert to launch a military operation in Niger, where a coup took place in late July.

In response, the rebels ordered that the Nigerien army be placed on alert as well. They also threatened to kill deposed President Mohamed Bazoum, whom ECOWAS seeks to reinstate to power.

TASS has compiled the key information about the situation.

ECOWAS summit’s results

At its emergency summit on August 10, ECOWAS ordered the chiefs of General Staff of its member countries to have their reserve forces ready. Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara said that the ECOWAS leaders had approved the launch of a military operation in Niger "as soon as possible."

According to Ouattara, Ivory Coast will field 850 - 1,100 troops for the operation. Also, Benin, Nigeria and other countries are expected to take part in the intervention.

The chiefs of General Staff of the ECOWAS member states are due to talk about the community’s plan of action at their meeting in Ghana’s capital city of Accra on Saturday.

Rebels’ steps

The rebel-formed National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland (Conseil national pour la sauvegarde de la patrie, CNSP) ruled that Niger’s army should be put on combat alert.

In recent talks with US Acting Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland, the top brass threatened to kill Niger’s deposed President Mohamed Bazoum if the neighboring countries mounted a military intervention.

The rebels’ supporters have hit the streets in a show of support for the new authorities. Several thousand people are now rallying outside the French military base in Niger’s capital of Niamey, AFP reported.

Bazoum’s health

According to Antinekar al-Hassan, political adviser to Niger’s deposed president, the health of Bazoum, who is being detained at his residence, raises serious concern. He believes that "the military wants the president dead."

Zazia Bazoum, the ousted president’s daughter, told The Guardian that "psychological pressure" was being used against her father to make him "sign a resignation letter."

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk called to ensure the protection of Bazoum’s human rights and said he was "extremely concerned about the rapidly deteriorating conditions" under which the president was being held. They "could amount to inhuman and degrading treatment," Turk said.

Response to ECOWAS decisions

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that the United States supports ECOWAS’ efforts to restore constitutional order in Niger and appreciates the community’s determination. The Pentagon said that some rebels had been trained in the United States, adding that they were still hoping for a diplomatic solution and that American military personnel would remain at their bases in Niger. US Africa Command assured that it was taking measures for their protection.

France voiced "full-fledged support" for all the decisions made at the ECOWAS summit. Nevertheless, l’Opinion newspaper reported that Paris was getting ready to pull its limited contingent of about 40 troops out of Niger.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock backed ECOWAS’ position. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell demanded that Mohamed Bazoum be freed without any preconditions.

Additionally, African Union Commission Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat called for the release of Bazoum, his family and detained government members, and, on behalf of the African Union, voiced his support for the ECOWAS summit.

Russia’s stand

The Russian Foreign Ministry expressed support for the ECOWAS mediation efforts. However, a military solution to the Niger crisis may mean a long conflict in the country and a drastically destabilized Sahara Sahel region, the ministry indicated.

Leonid Slutsky, chair of the Committee on International Affairs of the State Duma (lower house of Russia’s parliament), said that a military operation in Niger would only be carried out with the approval of the collective West. However, "it is important not to let a bloody scenario happen and to continue to look for a diplomatic solution," he said. The lawmaker warned that a military intervention in Niger could be the beginning of a major African war.

Konstantin Kosachev, deputy speaker of Russia’s Federation Council (upper house of parliament), said that the West’s unambiguous support for the agreement of ECOWAS member states to launch a military operation in Niger indicates that "this economic union may actually intervene in favor of the colonialists." According to Kosachev, "the use of force will not only fail to defuse tensions in Niger and the region, but on the contrary, will lead to its sharp destabilization.".