In the context of the coup that took place on July 26 in Niger, the leaders of the armed forces of the countries that are part of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), decided last week to establish a reserve military force, waiting to intervene in Niger and implement the decisions needed to restore constitutional order.

On August 17, the meeting of the ECOWAS military leaders began at the Headquarters of the Ghana Armed Forces. It will end on August 18, in the afternoon after the adoption of very important decisions for the future of Africa and the entire world. The said meeting comes after the expiry of the ultimatum given on July 30 to the military leaders who staged the coup in Niger, who were given 15 days to return to their barracks and restore constitutional order.

The meeting in Ghana comes after further violence, with militias killing at least 17 soldiers in an ambush. " On August 15, an army squad was the victim of a terrorist ambush near the town of Koutougou, in the Tillaberi region, near Burkina Faso," Niger's Ministry of Defense said. Twenty other soldiers were wounded, out of whom six were severely injured, the heaviest casualties since the July 26 coup.

The insurgency of the militia has held Africa's Sahel captive for more than a decade, breaking out in northern Mali in 2012 before starting in Niger and Burkina Faso in 2015. The so-called "three border" area between the states is usually the scene of attack used by rebel groups affiliated with the Islamic State and Al-Qaeda.

The junta that took power in Niger wanted to make it known that it was open to discussions to resolve the situation. However, it will detain ousted president Mohamed Bazoum, who is being prosecuted and charged with high treason, which is already being seen internationally as a sign that the junta is unwilling to seek a peaceful exit from crisis. Furthermore, it is significant to add that in the context of the latest developments, supporters of last month's coup in Niger have started recruiting volunteers to fight against a potential military intervention by ECOWAS.

As a result, the African Union, the EU, the US and the UN have expressed their concern about the evolution of the situation, about the conditions of detention to which M. Bazoum is subjected and, above all, about the consequences that will be generated by any military intervention that could further destabilize the Sahel region. Here, insurgents with links to certain al-Qaeda and Islamic State-affiliated groups have over the past decade displaced millions of people and fuelled a hunger crisis. Any decision to resort to military intervention could still be vetoed by the African Union's Peace and Security Council, which authorizes the organization and deployment of peace enforcement and support missions.

In this context, the presence in the territory of American, French, German and Italian troops that are based in Niger should also be noted. These military forces are part of the international efforts to combat the destabilizing developments of the security situation in the region.

Niger's neighbouring countries, Mali and Burkina Faso, both of which are led by military governments that also seized power through coups, have made their opinion known internationally. An armed intervention in Niger would amount to a declaration of war against their countries. Guinea, which is also under military rule and has condemned any external aggression, refrained from further comments.

Given their positions, it has become very clear that all ECOWAS member states, except those under military rule, are ready to take part in a military intervention in Niger, as ECOWAS Commissioner Abdel-Fatau Musah let know. "Democracy is what we stand for and it is what we encourage," Nigeria's Chief of Defense Staff, General Christopher Gwabin Musa, said at the start of the meeting in Accra. "Our gathering was not organised to merely react to events, but to chart a course proactively that results in peace and stability."

ECOWAS has long deliberated on the use of force which it has described as a "last resort". The basis for adopting such a decision is the conclusions of several mediation teams sent to Niamey and the inability to reach a consensus.

ECOWAS member states include Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Ivory Coast, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo. On August 15, the Nigerian President and ECOWAS President Bola Tinubu said that ECOWAS had the support of the regional bloc, the Economic Community of Central Africa, in efforts to topple the coup in Niger and restore the constitutional order.

In the very difficult and unpredictable context of developments in Niger, we can say that a particular interest could be projected on the US military presence in this country, raising questions about whether the US forces will have to leave a large military base with drones that officials considers crucial for regional counter-terrorism operations. The base, located near the small northern city of Agadez, is the main launching point for almost all of Washington's intelligence and surveillance operations in West Africa. At present, the US drone base for the region has been blocked by the effects of the coup in Niger, following the junta's decision to close Nigerian airspace.

Both Western powers and African democratic governments have urged the leaders of the coup to reinstate the ousted President Mohamed Bazoum. However, after multiple refusals and dismissals to push for negotiation, on August 15 Niger's junta said it was open to talks to resolve the regional crisis, while Russia and the US called for a peaceful solution.

In conclusion, we can say that significant efforts have been made lately to balance the situation in Niger as well as the regional one. Thus, last week, in Addis Ababa, under the auspices of the African Union, the ECOWAS representatives and the current leaders of Niger held a series of talks.

On August 16, the US announced that a new ambassador, Kathleen FitzGibbon, would arrive in Niamey to assist the diplomats in charge with finding a solution to the situation created by the coup.

For his part, on August 15, Niger's civilian prime minister, Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine, who was appointed by the military, made an unannounced visit to Chad – a key nation in volatile Sahel, but not a member of ECOWAS. He met with Chadian President Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno, delivering what he described as a message of "good neighbourliness and brotherhood" from the head of the Niger regime. "We are in a transition process, we have covered details and reiterated our willingness to remain open and talk to all parties, but we insist on maintaining the independence of our country," Zeine emphasized.

Nevertheless, we must not overlook that the current crisis in Niger and Africa and its future developments can significantly aggravate regional insecurity, as we have previously seen in Ukraine.