Niger Coup: ECOWAS leaders gather in Abuja for emergency summit

Leaders of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), on Thursday met in Abuja, the capital of Nigeria for an emergency summit to deliberate over the recent coup in Niger Republic which ousted President Mohamed Bazoum on July 26.

The is coming four days after the expiration of a seven-day ultimatum ECOWAS had given to the leaders of the Niger military junta to reinstate Bazoum to power, an ultimatum the coup leaders led by Maj. Gen. Abdourahamane Tchiani refused to heed.

The Extraordinary Summit which is holding at the Presdential Villa is presided over by President Bola Tinubu of Nigeria in his capacity as the Chairman of the regional body, and will deliberate on developments in Niger Republic, particularly on the next line of actions that will follow on the resolutions and ultimatum issued to the junta and the possibility of a wide range of measures to take including economic sanctions and possible military intervention.

Read also: Tinubu meets ECOWAS leaders in Abuja over Niger coup

Present at the summit were Presidents Julius Maada Bio of Sierra-Leone; Umaro Sissoco Embalo of Guinea Bissau; Alassane Ouattara of Ivory Coast; Nana Akufo-Addo of Ghana; Macky Sall of Senegal; Patrice Talon of Benin and Faure Gnassingbe of Togo.

Others were Presidents Evariste Ndayishmiye of Burundi and Mohammed Ould Ghazouani of Mauritania while Gambia and Liberia are being represented by their Ministers of Foreign Affairs

ECOWAS had, during its last Extraordinary Summit on July 30, imposed a number of sanctions on the coupists, including the immediate release of Bazoum, his family and members of the government, who are all being detained by the military and his immediate reinstatement.

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now