American-Trained Warlords Could Be Hours Away From Starting A Massive African Conflict

West Africa is on the brink of armed conflict as a regional security bloc must decide whether to intervene against the junta leaders in Niger, at least one of whom previously trained under Department of Defense (DOD) programs.

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), a Nigeria-led economic and security group, set a Sunday ultimatum for the military officers who seized control of Niger in July to restore the ousted president under threat of force, according to Reuters. But the deadline passed without a change in Nigerien leadership, and the ruling elements of Niger’s security forces on Sunday announced pre-positioning of troops ahead of a possible ECOWAS invasion.

If launched, it would trigger the first conflict involving multiple countries on the continent in decades, according to Politico.