[UPDATE-Aug 7-13:30Z] ECOWAS Ultimatum Expired – ‘We Wont Back Down Despite Inhumane Sanctions,’ Niger Junta Claims

France, Nigeria pushing for military intervention in Niger, explains analyst The initiative to conduct a military operation in Niger, where rebel presidential guards ousted head of state Mohamed Bazoum in late July, is being spearheaded by France and Nigeria, political analyst Salif Sidibe, resident in Mali’s capital Bamako, explained on Thursday. “The idea of military intervention in Niger comes primarily from the French, who enjoy considerable influence in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). But Paris operates there through mechanisms that are not visible to the general public. For instance, the French authorities have dirt on a number…