Niger Coup: ECOWAS Leaders Meet as General Tchiani Defies Deadline
- The deadline issued by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to the military juntas in the Niger Republic has elapsed
- The deadline elapsed on Sunday, August 6, as General Abdourahamane Tchiani refused to yield to the threats of ECOWAS
- ECOWAS immediately held a virtual meeting to strategise what to do next, as there might be an imminent military intervention
FCT, Abuja - Leaders of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and African Union (AU) on Sunday, July 6, held an emergency virtual meeting to deliberate on the next action following the military takeover of government in the Republic of Niger.
As reported by The Nation, the emergency meeting was held as the deadline set by ECOWAS for the surrender of the military juntas in Niger elapsed yesterday.
Source: Twitter
It was gathered that ECOWAS would schedule another meeting in the coming days to reach a final resolution on what to do next.
A source at the presidency in Abuja disclosed that:
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“The heads of government would reconvene to decide on the next option. But no date has been fixed for the meeting where a final decision would be made on how to deal with the situation in Niger,” Punch reported.
In attendance were governors Ahmed Aliyu (Sokoto), Umar Namadi (Jigawa), Mai Malam Buni (Yobe), Idris Nasir (Kebbi) and Dr Dikko Radda (Katsina).
Meanwhile, ECOWAS has made several attempts to reach a peaceful resolution with General Tchiani and negotiate the release of President Mohamad Bazoum, who has been in detention since Wednesday, July 26, when the Nigerien military juntas overthrew him.
Former Nigerian military head of state, Abdulsalami Abubakar and the Sultan of Sokoto, Sa’adu Abubakar and some other ECOWAS elder statesmen were sent as envoys to Niger to broker a peace accord. Still, Tchaini was not willing to entertain negotiations.
Tinubu meets state governors sharing border with Niger
Meanwhile, President Tinubu, on Sunday, met with the governors of states that share borders with Niger Republic.
The President’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, made this known in a post via his official Twitter handle.
Ngelale wrote:
“President @officialABAT on Sunday evening met with governors of states that share boundaries with Niger Republic at the State House in Abuja. The meeting was part of wider consultations by the President on the situation in Niger.
“Sokoto, Kebbi, Yobe, Katsina and Jigawa governors.”
Coup D’état: Niger military junta shuts air space amid threats of Tinubu-led ECOWAS invasion
Meanwhile, the Niger Republic military government led by General Abdourahamane Tchiani has announced the closure of its air space.
General Tchiani made this announcement via a statement on Sunday, August 6, after the end of the deadline for surrender issued by ECOWAS.
As contained in the statement, General Tchiani noted that any attempt to invade Niger would be met with an “energetic and immediate response.”
Source: Legit.ng
