Days after the deadline for the coup plotters in Niger to restore the expelled president passed, the West African group will convene.
Another Extraordinary Summit on the Political Situation in the Republic of Niger will be held by the Heads of State of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
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), Bola Ahmed Tinubu, will call another Extraordinary Summit of the Authority on the political situation in the Republic of Niger, according to a statement released by ECOWAS on Monday.
“The Summit will take place on August 10, 2023, in Abuja. During the Summit, the ECOWAS Leaders will think about and examine the political situation and recent events in Niger.
A spokesman for the regional union says leaders of West Africa will meet on Thursday to discuss Niger after coup leaders who took control of that country on July 26 disregarded a deadline to restore the ousted president or face the danger of military intervention.
The leaders of the coup had been ordered to disband by Sunday by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), which has previously moved military forces into unstable member states and levied sanctions. Instead, the coup leaders shut down Niger’s airspace and vowed to protect the nation.
A spokesman for the coup leaders declared on national television that “Niger’s armed forces and all our defence and security forces, backed by the unwavering support of our people, are ready to defend the integrity of our territory.”
Landlocked Niger is bigger than France and would typically be in the way of several aviation routes across Africa. Air France has banned travel to and from the Niger-bordering cities of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, and Bamako, Mali, until Friday and issued a warning that some flight delays will increase.
Amos Lungu, a spokesman for ECOWAS, announced on Monday that the group’s extraordinary summit on Niger would take place in Abuja, the capital of Nigeria, where its offices are.
The 15-nation group has adopted a more strident approach in response to the Niger coup, which is the sixth to occur in the region in the last three years.
Although they stressed that operational decisions would be made by their heads of state, the ECOWAS defence chiefs agreed on Friday on a potential military action plan in the event that the arrested president, Mohamed Bazoum, was not released and reinstalled.
The bloc is not, however, cohesive. The ECOWAS members Mali and Burkina Faso’s military governments have vowed to support their counterparts in Niger if necessary.
The Malian army said on social media on Monday that both nations were sending delegations to Niamey to express their sympathy, while the flight-tracking website FlightRadar24 showed a military aircraft from Burkina Faso landing in the Niger city at around 12:20 pm (11:20 GMT).
One of the world’s poorest areas, which is already dealing with a famine crisis and armed groups that have killed hundreds of people and displaced millions, would be further destabilised by a split in ECOWAS and an intensification of the stalemate with Niger.
In an interview that was published on Monday, Antonio Tajani, the foreign minister of Italy, suggested that ECOWAS prolong the date for the reinstatement of Bazoum.
The diplomatic route is the only option, Tajani told La Stampa.
“It is appropriate that he [Bazoum] be let free, but we are unable to do so. The US is quite cautious in this regard. They cannot possibly begin a military intervention in Niger, Tajani continued.
Some protesters have portrayed the situation as a patriotic struggle by the former French colony to maintain its independence in the face of imperialist interference at pro-coup demonstrations in Niamey. Some people have waved Russian flags while making anti-French statements.
The purpose of the protest, according to demonstrator Amadou Hamadou Moumouni, is to demonstrate to the entire world and the international community that we fully support [the military].
Bazoum claimed to be a hostage in an opinion article that was published last week and urged the US and the international community to reinstate constitutional order.
In order to condemn what is happening, the West and Africa have formed a “extraordinary alignment,” according to French European Affairs Minister Laurence Boone on Monday.
She said on the French television network LCI, “I hope that we will be able to restore democracy and the constitution in peace and without blood.”
Niger is important economically and strategically for the US, Europe, China, and Russia due to its oil and uranium riches, as well as its vital role in a conflict with armed groups in the Sahel region.
ORIGIN: News organisations
