The African Union announced the suspension of Niger on Tuesday, August 22, until the restoration of civilian rule. The organization issued a warning of potential forceful measures to reinstate the country’s elected president, Mohamed Bazoum.
The African Union said Tuesday it had suspended coup-hit Niger until civilian rule is restored and announced it would assess the implications of any armed intervention in the Sahel nation.
In a crisis now nearly four weeks old, the West African regional bloc ECOWAS has threatened to use force to reinstate Niger’s elected president, Mohamed Bazoum.
The Peace and Security Council “requests the AU Commission to undertake an assessment of the economic, social and security implications of deploying a standby force in Niger and report back to Council,” the bloc said, following strong differences on the matter.
Army officers toppled Bazoum on July 26, prompting the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to approve activation of a “standby force to restore constitutional order” in Niamey.
The bloc has said it is ready to intervene as a last resort but is continuing to press for a diplomatic solution.
The new military ruler General Abdourahamane Tiani has proposed a three-year transition back to democracy, a call rejected by ECOWAS, which sent a delegation to visit Niger on the weekend in a final diplomatic push.
Sanctions
ECOWAS has imposed sanctions on Niger while Benin and Nigeria have closed their borders.
The UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) warned last week that sanctions and border closures were crimping vital food and medical supplies into Niger.
Around 300 trucks arrived in Niger’s capital of Niamey on Monday from Burkina Faso, most of them carrying food, the Nigerien authorities said.
Katrine Dige Houmøller, with AFP
