A delegation from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has arrived inNiger Republic for talks with the military officers who have seized power.
According to AFP, a plane carrying the delegation landed in the capital Niamey at around 1200 pm on Saturday ahead of talks to return the country to democratic rule.
A source close to the latest delegation told the news agency that the ECOWAS representatives would send “a message of firmness” to the army officers and meet Bazoum.
OsunDailyNG reports that Niger’s governing military council have confirmed the arrival of the ECOWAS delegation headed by a former Nigerian military leader General Abdulsalami Abubakar.
Recall that the ECOWAS delegation led by Abubakar earlier this month failed to meet ousted President Mohamed Bazoum and the coup leader, General Abdourahamane Tiani.
The ECOWAS has agreed to activate a “standby force” as a last resort to restore democracy in Niger after generals toppled and detained Bazoum on July 26, but said it favours dialogue to defuse the crisis.
Also, ECOWAS defence chiefs met this week in the Ghanaian capital Accra to fine-tune details of a potential military operation to restore Bazoum if ongoing negotiations with coup leaders fail.
The leaders of the West African bloc said they have to act after Niger became the fourth West African nation since 2020 to suffer a coup, following Mali, Guinea and Burkina Faso.
