West African delegation arrives in Niger Republic

A delegation from the West African bloc ECOWAS arrived in Niger for discussions in an attempt to resolve a situation sparked by last week’s military coup.

According to the source, the group arrived in Niamey at 6:11 p.m. (1711 GMT).

ECOWAS handed the junta a week on Sunday to reinstate elected leader Mohamed Bazoum or face military involvement.

In a statement, Nigerian President Bola Tinubu asked the representatives to do “whatever it takes to ensure a conclusive and amicable resolution of the situation in Niger.”

According to Tinubu’s office, the delegation led by former Nigerian leader Abdulsalami Abubakar will “meet the coup leaders in Niger to present the ECOWAS leadership’s demands.”

Tinubu also dispatched a second group, led by Nigerian Ambassador Babagana Kingibe, “to engage with the leaders of Libya and Algeria” on the problem.

Niger has already been sanctioned by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), and Nigeria has cut off its electricity supplies.

West African military chiefs are meeting in Abuja to consider the possibility of military involvement if diplomacy fails, but ECOWAS has stated that military participation would be a “last resort.”

Junta-ruled Mali and Burkina Faso have warned that military participation in their neighbours nations would be a “declaration of war” against them.

AFP