Update:
BREAKING: ECOWAS countries have agreed to launch a military operation in Niger "as soon as possible," AFP reports, citing the President of Côte d'Ivoire.
According to the Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara, ECOWAS has given the green light for a military operation "as soon as possible". "The chiefs of staff will have other conferences to finalize things but they have the agreement of the conference of heads of state," he also stated.
ECOWAS Summit Statement: We will impose measures, including closing borders and freezing assets, for those who obstruct the restoration of constitutional order in Niger
The Pentagon confirmed that some of the military leaders in Niger were trained by the United States Spokesman for the department Patrick Ryder said that there is no connection between this preparation and "their current activities" "Yes, we know that some of the Niger military related to [unfolding in Niger] events have been trained by the United States in the past," Pentagon spokesman Patrick Ryder said at a briefing. He argued that there was no connection between this preparation and "their current activities."
The White House has asked the U.S. Congress for $200 million to counter PMC "Wagner" in Africa. “In addition, the [US] administration is asking for $200 million to counter the destabilizing activities of [PMC] Wagner and other malicious Russian actors in African countries, including funding to strengthen African democratic institutions and security ,” the cover letter says. Director of the Office of Management and Budget of the White House Shalanda Young, attached to a new additional request for government spending in the current fiscal year, which was sent to the leadership of the US Congress.
