Niger orders army to go on ‘maximum alert’

The junta in Niger has ordered its military forces to be on highest alert owing to an increased threat of assault, according to an internal document published by the nation’s defense chief on Friday that a security source in the country said was real.

The order to remain on high alert would allow soldiers to react effectively in the event of an assault and “avoid a general surprise,” according to the paper, which was widely circulated online on Saturday.

According to the report, “threats of aggression to the national territory are increasingly felt.”

The main West African bloc, ECOWAS, has been seeking to communicate with the perpetrators of the July 26 coup, but it has made clear that if diplomatic efforts are unsuccessful, it is prepared to send troops to reestablish constitutional order.

In a statement on Friday, the EU downplayed the threat and stated that it was “determined to bend backwards to accommodate diplomatic efforts,” but intervention was still a possibility.

Omar Alieu Touray, the president of the ECOWAS Commission, told reporters, “For the avoidance of doubt, let me say unambiguously that ECOWAS has neither declared war on the people of Niger nor is there a plot to invade the nation, as has been reported.

Concerns have been raised by the EU’s earlier this month decision to send out a so-called standby force in preparation for a potential intervention.

The main West African bloc ECOWAS has been trying to negotiate with the leaders of the July 26 coup, but has said it is ready to deploy troops to restore constitutional order if diplomatic efforts fail.

On Friday, the bloc downplayed this threat and said it was “determined to bend backwards to accommodate diplomatic efforts,” although an intervention remained one of the options the table.