After the expiration of the ultimatum for a military intervention deadline, ECOWAS leaders will convene an emergency summit to address the Niger coup crisis, exploring diplomatic solutions.
Leaders from the West African bloc ECOWAS will meet on Thursday for an emergency summit on the coup in Niger after the country’s military chiefs defied an ultimatum to restore the elected president.
Two weeks after the coup that toppled Mohamed Bazoum, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) says it is seeking a diplomatic solution but has not ruled out using force to resolve the crisis.
Important decisions are expected from the gathering in Nigeria’s capital Abuja, according to a statement from the 15-nation organization on Tuesday.
Struggling to stem a cascade of coups among its members since 2020, the bloc gave the troops who seized power on July 26 until last Sunday to reinstate Bazoum or face the potential use of force.
Coup leaders remained defiant, however, and the deadline passed without action.
The possibility of military intervention in Niger, a fragile nation that ranks among the world’s poorest, has sparked debate within ECOWAS and warnings from neighboring Algeria and Russia.
Niger’s neighbors Mali and Burkina Faso, both ruled by military governments who seized power in coups, have said an intervention would be tantamount to a declaration of war on their countries.
On Tuesday, the coup leaders rejected a bid to send a joint team of ECOWAS, UN, and African Union representatives to the capital Niamey.
The coup leaders’ nomination of a new prime minister earlier this week appeared to signal the start of a transition to a new government.
But in a twist on Wednesday, a Former Emir of the Nigerian city of Kano revealed that he had met with the coup leaders to help mediate the crisis.
Miroslava Salazar with AFP
