Economic Community of West Africa States, on Monday, scheduled yet another meeting on the Niger Republic crisis.
ECOWAS had met in Abuja early August and issued a 7-day deadline to the Niger junta to reinstate ousted President Mohamed Bazoum or risk sanctions, including possible military intervention.
But instead of reinstating Bazoum, the junta severed ties with Nigeria and some other countries sympathetic to Bazoum’s cause.
The coupists also warned against foreign intervention, vowing to defend the territorial integrity of Niger.
ECOWAS had last week sent a high-powered delegation to broker peace with the coupists but their representatives met with the team led by former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar (rtd).
The military regime had shut Nigerien airspace indefinitely and placed troops on standby.
Chairman of ECOWAS, President Bola Tinubu, on Monday, sent a notice of meeting scheduled for Thursday in Abuja.
A statement by ECOWAS read, “President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Chairman of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has convened another Extraordinary Summit of the Authority on the political situation in the Republic of Niger. The Summit will hold in Abuja, on Thursday, August 10, 2023.”
“The ECOWAS Leaders will be considering and discussing the political situation and recent development in Niger during the Summit.”
Details later…