West African nations mull troops for Niger intervention

West African nations on Friday worked on gathering troops for a possible military intervention in Niger as the leaders of an army coup resisted international calls for them to step down and restore the ousted president to office, report Reuters.

However, it was not yet clear how big the force could be, how long it could take to assemble, and if it would actually invade.

The regional bloc ECOWAS ordered the activation of the standby force on Thursday, two weeks after generals ousted President Mohamed Bazoum in the seventh coup in West and Central Africa in three years.

It marks the first time that such a force would be used and has raised the spectre of deepening conflict in a region where global powers have strategic interests.

ECOWAS (the Economic Community of West African States) said all options were on the table and they still hoped for a peaceful resolution to the Niger crisis.