Niger coup: Russia warns Ecowas not to take military action

Military enactment against coup leaders successful Niger would pb to a "protracted confrontation", Russia has warned.

On Friday, the West African bloc Ecowas approved a "standby force" successful effect to the subject takeover successful Niger, and Ivory Coast's president said it could beryllium deployed "as soon arsenic possible".

The US has backed efforts to reconstruct Niger's deposed person Mohamed Bazoum.

Coup supporters, immoderate waving Russian flags, protested astatine a French subject basal adjacent the capital.

Moscow has not formally backed the coup but the illness of Niger's ideology risks pitting Russia against the West successful a proxy stand-off.

Both France and the US run subject bases successful Niger, which person been utilized to motorboat operations against jihadist groups contiguous successful the wider region.

Supporters of the subject junta person called connected Western nations to permission the state and voiced enactment for Russia.

On Friday protesters were seen chanting "down with France, down with Ecowas" astatine a French basal connected the outskirts of the superior metropolis Niamey.

In a connection issued connected Friday, Russia's overseas ministry warned different West African nations not to nonstop troops into Niger.

It said: "We judge that a subject solution to the situation successful Niger could pb to a protracted confrontation successful that African country, and to a crisp destabilisation of the concern successful the Sahara-Sahel portion arsenic a whole."

Military officials from Ecowas countries are reportedly acceptable to conscionable connected Saturday to draught plans for a subject intervention.

The bloc has said it remains unfastened to uncovering a diplomatic solution to the crisis, but Nigeria's President Bola Tinubu said connected Thursday: "No enactment is taken disconnected the table, including the usage of unit arsenic a past resort."

The US has not explicitly backed subject enactment but has called connected the junta to measurement speech and let the restoration of the country's antiauthoritarian constitution.

In a statement, US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken said: "The United States appreciates the determination of Ecowas to research each options for the peaceful solution of the crisis."

Separately, Mr Blinken told the BBC earlier this week helium believes Russian mercenary radical Wagner could question to instrumentality vantage of instability successful Niger.

Fears are increasing for the wellness and information of President Bazoum, who has been held captive since the subject seized powerfulness connected July 26.

United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said connected Friday: "Credible reports I person received bespeak that the conditions of detention could magnitude to inhuman and degrading treatment, successful usurpation of planetary quality rights law."

European Union overseas argumentation main Josep Borrell said helium believes Mr Bazoum and his household "have been deprived of food, energy and aesculapian attraction for respective days".