New Conflict in Africa: ECOWAS Armed Forces Consider Military Operation Following Coup in Niger.

In a dramatic development in Africa, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS or CEDEAO Communauté Économique des États de l'Afrique de l'Ouest) has threatened Niger with international military intervention following the coup d'Etat on July 26, 2023, orchestrated by General Abdourahamane Tiani, who deposed the elected president, Mohamed Bazoum.
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Niger Special Forces Soldier pulls security and maintains situational awareness during tactical urban terrain movement training at Flintlock 2022 near Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, Feb. 26, 2022. (Picture source U.S. DoD)

This marks the first time ECOWAS has threatened military intervention to restore democracy since its inception. The coup leaders who assumed power on July 30,2023, face the ultimatum of stepping down or confronting potential military intervention. If ECOWAS intervenes militarily, Niger's neighbors, Mali and Burkina Faso, who are also currently led by coup leaders, have pledged to join the war on Niger's side.

The intervention by ECOWAS is likely to see support from Nigeria, Senegal, and Côte d'Ivoire.

The Armed Forces of Niger, known in French as the Forces Armées Nigeriennes (FAN), consist of several different branches, all of which fall under the supreme command of the President. According to information published by the Military Balance 2022, the primary elements of the Niger Armed Forces include the Army, Air Force, and the National Gendarmerie.

The Army is the largest component of the Armed Forces, comprised of roughly 5,200 personnel. This branch is broken down into armored, mechanized, and motorized infantry battalions, and it is equipped with a range of vehicles, artillery pieces, and small arms. The primary responsibility of the Army is the defense of the nation's territory from external threats.

In addition to the Army, the Nigerien Air Force, albeit smaller in size, maintains several aircraft that are used for a variety of tasks such as transport, patrol, and reconnaissance missions. They also have a few combat-ready aircraft available for defensive operations.

The National Gendarmerie, a paramilitary police force, is another important part of the Niger Armed Forces. Despite operating under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Defense, the Gendarmerie's role is focused on maintaining law and order, as well as providing policing services, thus it carries a distinctly civil role in comparison to the Army or Air Force.

The main combat vehicles of the Niger army consist of 35 AML-20/AML-60, 90 AML-90, Bastion Patsas, 7 VBL, 13 Bastion, 22 Panhard M3, 20 WZ-551, 15 IAG Guardian Xtreme, 57 Mamba Mk7, 21 Puma M26-15, and some Puma M36. The armed forces of Nider don't have any tanks and fex number of combat aircraft.

Le Burkina Faso armed forces consists of 11,200 active military personnel including 6,400 soldiers for the Land Forces. The army is equipped with 91 reconnaissance vehicles including 19 AML-60/AML-90, 8 Bastion Patsas, 24 EE-9 Cascavel, 30 Ferret, 2 M20, 8 M8 as well as around 100 Armored Personnel Carrier (APC) vehicles including 13 Panhard M3, 12 Bastion APC, 6 Gila, 31 Puma M26-15, 14 Puma M36, 24 Stark Motors Storm and 39 Cobra.

To the side of the CEDEAO, the Nigerian Armed Forces, which comprise an army, navy, and air force, stand as one of the largest military forces in Africa, boasting an estimated 143,000 active personnel. The land forces are equipped with around 319 Main Battle Tanks (MBTs) including 100 T-55, 10 T-72AV, 31 T-72M1, 172 Vickers Mk 3, and 6 VT-4 as well as 154 light tanks FV101 Scorpion

In terms of Infantry Fighting Vehicles (IFVs), Nigeria's army is equipped with 9 BTR-4EN, 22 BVP-1 as well as around 866 APCs including 248 4K-7FA Steyr, 65 MT-LB, 60 ZSD-89, 10 FV603 Saracen, 110 AVGP Grizzly mod/Piranha I 6x6, 47 BTR-3UN, 5 BTR-80 and some EE-11 Urutu.

The armed forces of Côte d'Ivoire consist of 27,400 military personnel with 23,000 soldiers for the army. The main combat vehicles of the Côte d'Ivoire army include 10 T-55 tanks, 13 BRDM-2, 5 Cayman BRDM, 10 BMP-1/BMP-, 9 Bastion APC, 6 BTR-80, 12 Panhard M3 and 13 VAB.

Senegal has an armed force of around 13,600 military personnel including 11,900 soldiers in the army. The main combat vehicles of the army of Senegal includes 27 PTL-02 tank destroyer armed with 100mm gun, as well as reconnaissance armored vehicles including 30 AML-60, 74 AML-90, 20 BRDM-2, 10 M8, 4 M20, and 27 RAM Mk3.

The Senegal army also has 26 Ratel-20 IFVs and 91 APCs with 12 M3 half-track, 2 Oncilla, 16 Panhard M3, 4 WZ-551 (CP), 8 Casspir, 39 Puma M26-15 and 10 Puma M36.

In contrast, France, despite a significant troop presence in the region of approximately 2,000 soldiers including special forces, has declared that it would not participate in any military operations. This move sets the stage for a potential geopolitical standoff in the region.

Defense News August 2023