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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Jason Burke Africa correspondent

West African leaders activate standby force to put pressure on junta in Niger

Nigeria's president, Bola Tinubu
Nigeria's president, Bola Tinubu, at the Ecowas meeting in Abuja, Nigeria on Thursday 10 August. Support among Ecowas nations for military intervention in Niger appears to be fading. Photograph: Gbemiga Olamikan/AP

Leaders of a powerful west African regional bloc have ordered the activation of its standby force, increasing the pressure on the senior army officers who deposed Niger’s democratically elected leader last month but leaving the door open for a diplomatic solution.

Speaking after an emergency Ecowas summit in Abuja, President Bola Tinubu of Nigeria warned that “no option is taken off the tables including the use of force as the last resort”.

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