ECOWAS Delegation Arrives Niger
A delegation from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has arrived in Niger for discussions with the military officers who have assumed control and deposed President Mohamed Bazoum, Excel Magazine International can authoritatively report.
The ECOWAS delegation is led by former Nigerian leader, Abdulsalami Abubakar.
Niger’s governing military council has also officially acknowledged the arrival of ECOWAS representatives.
The delegation’s plane landed in Niamey, Niger’s capital, on Saturday, a day after the ECOWAS military chiefs’ declaration of readiness to intervene in order to reinstate Bazoum.
Earlier in the week, ECOWAS defense chiefs convened in the Ghanaian capital, Accra, to fine-tune the specifics of a prospective military operation aimed at restoring Bazoum if negotiations with the coup leaders prove unsuccessful.
ECOWAS had previously agreed to activate a “standby force” as a final recourse to reestablish democracy in Niger after military leaders overthrew and detained Bazoum.
Nonetheless, the West African bloc has expressed a preference for dialogue as a means of diffusing the crisis.
In the meantime, a reliable source close to the latest delegation has indicated that it intends to convey a resolute message to the military officers and to hold discussions with Bazoum.
“We are ready to go any time the order is given,” affirmed Abdel-Fatau Musah, an ECOWAS commissioner for political affairs and security, following the meeting of the military chiefs on Friday.
