Former Ivorian president Laurent Gbagbo has weighed in on proposed plans by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to deploy its standby army into Niger.
The move is part of plans to reverse the July 26 coup that ousted president Mohamed Bazoum.
In an interview earlier this week, Gbagbo slammed the Ivorian president over alleged plans to deploy Ivorian soldiers before describing any intervention as "madness."
"When I heard Alassane Ouattara say he is going to send a battalion to Niger, I laughed so much. You can tell he didn't make the Army. I made the army. One battalion is three companies. You can't occupy BoboDioulasso neighborhood with that."
"I advise ECOWAS to use its standby force to fight terrorists in West Africa," he said.
"Bazoum's fate is already sealed. It will be madness to send soldiers to Niger for free killings," he stressed adding that he expected the junta in Niamey to release Bazoum who remains under detention.
“I want Bazoum to be released, but I don't want this war to take place. It would be the most stupid war,” he stressed in the August 22 interview with Le Monde Afrique.
An ECOWAS mediator and former Nigerian head of state, Abdul salami Abubakar told the BBC this week that efforts at achieving a diplomatic breakthrough were bright and that nobody wanted to go to war.
A security analyst with focus on West Africa has, however, disclosed that a deployment is imminent and that six countries were ready to contribute troops - Ghana, Ivory Coast, Senegal, Benin, Guinea-Bissau and Nigeria.
"When I heard Alassane Ouattara say he is going to send a battalion to Niger, I laughed so much." You can tell he didn't make the Army. I made the army. One battalion is three companies. You can't occupy BoboDioulasso neighborhood… pic.twitter.com/JUiY8NoMvn
Ghana’s leading digital news platform, GhanaWeb, in conjunction with the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, is embarking on an aggressive campaign which is geared towards ensuring that parliament passes comprehensive legislation to guide organ harvesting, organ donation, and organ transplantation in the country.
You can also watch the latest episode of Everyday People on GhanaWeb TV below:
You can also watch the latest episode of The Lowdown on GhanaWeb TV, as we explore the need for organ donations, below:
Laurent Gbagbo, former Ivorian president
