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Politico: France backs efforts to quash Niger coup ahead of Sunday deadline 

Threat of military intervention made by ECOWAS ‘must be taken very seriously,’ French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna says. 

French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna on Saturday backed efforts to reverse a military coup in Niger, following a meeting in Paris with the African country’s Prime Minister Ouhoumoudou Mahamadou and Niger’s Ambassador to France, Aïchatou Boulama Kané. 

France “firmly and resolutely supports the efforts of ECOWAS to thwart this attempted putsch,” the French Foreign Ministry said in a statement, referring to a group of 15 West African countries that has given the putschists in Niger until Sunday to step down or face a possible military intervention. 

“The future of Niger and the stability of the entire region are at stake,” the ministry said.  

Read more ….  

Update #1: France backs regional bid to oust coup leaders in Niger ahead of deadline (CNN)
 

Update #2: France backs ECOWAS push to reverse Niger military coup (Al Jazeera) 

WNU Editor: France and the US are hoping that the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) will cobble together a military force to reverse the military coup in Niger. Easier said than done. Some member states are against any form of military intervention against Niger …. Burkina Faso, Mali warn against military intervention in Niger (Al Jazeera), and two, the member states of ECOWAS have limited military capabilities to launch such an operation against Niger’s new leaders. 

Bottom line. 

The West will need to get directly involved in launching such an operation to quash this coup, and they already have the means to do it.  There are currently about 3,000 Western troops in Mali …. Which Western countries have foreign forces in Niger? (Al Jazeera).