ECOWAS Delegations Leave Niger Without Meeting Junta Leader

The delegations of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) have left Niger without meeting the leader of the junta which seized power in a coup.

According to Punch, a member of the delegation confirmed the development.

The ECOWAS delegation arrived in the capital Niamey on Thursday “but did not spend the night” as scheduled, nor meet with coup leader Abdourahamane Tiani or deposed President Mohamed Bazoum”, the team member said.

The delegation was led by former Nigerian president Abdulsalami Abubakar and was initially due to meet Tiani to present ECOWAS’s demands, according to the Nigerian presidency.

President Bola Tinubu, Chairman of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government had sent the delegation on the mission

Tinubu during a meeting with the delegations urged them to engage robustly with all stakeholders to ensure a conclusive and amicable resolution in Niger.

General Abdulsalami Abubakar (retd.) while speaking on their mission in Niger said the delegation would meet the coup leaders in Niger to present the demands of the ECOWAS leadership.

However, the delegations could not meet with the Junta leader.

One of the putschists in a statement read on national television late Thursday had warned, “Any aggression or attempted aggression against the State of Niger will see an immediate and unannounced response from the Niger Defence and Security Forces on one of (the bloc’s) members.”