West African nations to deploy “standby force” in response to Niger coup

West African nations aren’t invading Niger — yet: The ECOWAS group of West African nations agreed to “immediately” deploy a standby force in response to the recent coup in Niger to “restore constitutional order” in the country, the bloc said following an emergency meeting in Nigeria on Thursday. The group had threatened to launch a military intervention to topple the junta that seized power earlier this month, and handed it a one-week ultimatum to restore President Barzoum’s leadership. ECOWAS has not clarified where the standby force will be deployed or how large it will be.