The West African bloc ECOWAS has announced that its leaders are scheduled to convene on Thursday to address the crisis in Niger, as the country’s military rulers continue to resist the ultimatum to relinquish power or potentially face military intervention.
“ECOWAS heads of state (will) hold another extraordinary summit on the political situation in the Republic of Niger,” the regional bloc of 15 member states announced. This comes as Niger has disregarded the deadline imposed on Sunday to restore the democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum.
The summit is scheduled to take place in Abuja, Nigeria, where the current ECOWAS chairman, President Bola Tinubu, is based.
Earlier today, a source from ECOWAS stated that the West African nations are not currently considering an immediate military intervention.
Italy and Germany advocated for a diplomatic resolution in the challenged Sahel country.
Mali and Burkina Faso, both suspended from ECOWAS due to their own military coups, announced that they are dispatching a joint official delegation to Niamey to demonstrate their solidarity with the people of Niger.
They have emphasized that any military intervention would be considered equivalent to a declaration of war.