TASS, August 31. Senegalese troops are getting prepared to be deployed to Benin, presumably, ahead of intervention in Niger under the aegis of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the Seneweb portal reported on Wednesday, citing its sources.

According to the sources, Air Senegal has been asked to airlift 900 mobilized soldiers and combat vehicles to the city of Cotonou in Benin, which can be used as a rear base for the ECOWAS forces.

According to the Senegalese L’Observateur newspaper, the Senegalese authorities have begun a mobilization campaign. The newspaper cited a letter by the Senegalese Chief of General Staff General Mbaye Cisse calling on the military to gather in the city of Thies in the west of the country.

In late July, a group of military rebels in Niger announced the removal of President Mohamed Bazoum. They then established the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland (Conseil national pour la sauvegarde de la patrie, CNSP), headed by General Abdourahmane Tchiani, to run the country. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) suspended Niger’s membership in the organization and imposed tough sanctions on the country. Apart from that, ECOWAS leaders demanded the rebels set Bazoum free and warned about a military resolution of the situation if he is not released.

ECOWAS commissioner for political affairs Abdel-Fatau Musah said after a meeting of the bloc’s military chiefs in Ghana on August 18 that the exact date for the intervention in Niger had been determined, but it is yet to be officially announced.