A member of the Economic Community of West African States group revealed on Friday that they departed Niger without meeting the leader of the junta that seized control there.
According to a team member, the ECOWAS group arrived in the capital Niamey on Thursday “but did not spend the night” as planned, nor did they meet with the deposed president Mohamed Bazoum or coup leader Abdourahamane Tiani.
The group, under the leadership of former Nigerian president Abdulsalami Abubakar, had originally planned to meet with Tiani and present ECOWAS’ demands. Nigeria, a regional powerhouse, currently holds the rotating ECOWAS leadership position.
On Sunday, sanctions were imposed, and a week was given to the putschists to restore Bazoum to office.
However, ECOWAS stated it could turn to military involvement as a last resort, despite Bola Tinubu saying the group will try its best to resolve the problem diplomatically.
In the meantime, the junta issued a warning that it would use force.
“Any aggression or attempted aggression against the State of Niger will see an immediate and unannounced response from the Niger Defense and Security Forces against one of the bloc’s members,” one of the putschists declared in a statement read on national television late Thursday.
AFP
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