France government said it will fully support ongoing efforts by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to ensure coup leaders in Niger Republic relinquish power to the democratic government in the country.
It stated that ECOWAS military should invade the region if Niger coup leaders fail to return the deposed government to power in 24-hours.
French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna, who met with Niger Prime Minister Ouhoumoudou Mahamadou and the Niger ambassador in Paris disclosed this on Saturday.
ECOWAS had issued a seven-day ultimatum for the reinstatement of President Mohamed Bazoum to avoid possible clash with the junta.
The deadline is Sunday, August 6th
President Bola Tinubu doubled as ECOWAS chairman sent a high-powered delegation to the country to meet with the coup leaders, on Thursday for peace talk.
However efforts to resolve the crisis through dialogue failed.
Speaking on the develpment, Colonna said “the junta in Niamey had until Sunday to hand back power, otherwise a threat by member countries of ECOWAS to stage a military intervention had to be taken “very seriously”
“The threat is credible,” she said on French public radio on Saturday according to Reuters.
France did not specify whether its backing would entail military support for an ECOWAS intervention in Niger.
More details to follow…
