Analysts say regional countries are facing a crisis of legitimacy as they run out of options and time to restore democratic rule in Niger after soldiers ousted the president last month.
FILE - Children run in the streets of Niamey, Niger, on Aug. 13, 2023. Defense chiefs from the West African regional bloc, ECOWAS, are meeting in Ghana Thursday Aug. 17, 2023 to discuss Niger's crisis after a deadline passed for mutinous soldiers to release and reinstate President Mohamed Bazoum or face military intervention.
ECOWAS has a poor track record in stemming the region’s rampant coups: neighboring Burkina Faso and Mali have each had two within three years. Niger's coup was seen by the international community and ECOWAS as one too many and in addition to threatening a military invasion, the bloc has imposed severe economic and travel sanctions.
The top security body of the African Union met Monday to consider whether it would support military intervention but has yet to make public its decision. On the streets of Niamey, locals are both preparing for the possibility of a fight while also trying to cope with the impact of the ECOWAS sanctions.
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