Niger: ECOWAS Team Leaves Without Meeting Coup Leader

A team from the West African regional bloc ECOWAS has left Niger without carrying out scheduled plans, including a meeting with the leader of the junta that seized power in the country following last month’s coup.

The delegation had arrived in the capital, Niamey, on Thursday “but did not spend the night” as scheduled, the French AFP news agency quoted a delegation member as saying on Friday.

What was ECOWAS’s plan?

Led by former Nigerian President Abdulsalami Abubakar, the delegation was scheduled to meet coup leader Abdourahamane Tchani,who also goes by Omar, to present the bloc’s demands.

It was also scheduled to meet Niger’s ousted President Mohamed Bazoum.

The regional bloc has given the junta until Sunday to reinstate Bazoum, threatening to use force though stressing it wouldn’t spare any effort to resolve the crisis amicably.

A multi-day meeting of the region’s defense chiefs about the potential military response will wrap in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, later on Friday.

What can ECOWAS do to counter Niger coup?

Beyond Africa, Germany urged continued “mediation efforts” on Friday, with a Foreign Ministry spokesman expressing hopes that such mediation would lead to a “political solution.”

Russia, meanwhile, warned of outside intervention. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow was closely monitoring the situation and favoring “a swift return to constitutional normality without endangering human lives.”

“It is unlikely that the intervention of any extra-regional force can change the situation for the better,” Peskov told reporters.

How has the Niger junta responded?

The junta has rejected ECOWAS’ demands and threat of 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 on one of [the bloc’s] members,” one of the putschists said in a statement read on national television late Thursday.

Also on Thursday, the junta announced ending the functions of the country’s ambassadors to Nigeria, which is leading ECOWAS efforts on dialogue, as well as neighboring Togo, the US and France.

Bazoum speaks up

In a Washington Post opinion plea published in the early hours of Friday, Bazoum appealed for an end to the coup, stressing it reverses the security and prosperity his administration had worked hard to achieve since he was elected in 2021.

Describing himself as a “hostage” at the time of writing the letter, Bazoum warned of the expansion of military rule in the Sahel region, if Niger is to follow in Mali and Burkina Faso’s footsteps. Both countries have experienced coups in recent years.

He also warned of Russia’s growing influence in the region via the Wagner group.

“In our hour of need, I call on the US government and the entire international community to help us restore our constitutional order,” Bazoum wrote.