The presidents of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the African Union (AU) convened on Sunday as the regional bloc’s deadline for the Niger junta to return President Mohamed Bazoum to office expired.
Visitodell gathered that the presidents of ECOWAS and the African Union met digitally.
Following their virtual conference, ECOWAS leaders will gather in Abuja this week to make a critical decision on the ultimatum.
A source close to the ECOWAS conference told The Nation that a communiqué would be published following the meeting.
Following a military coup against Niger Republic’s democratically elected President, the ECOWAS states issued a seven-day ultimatum to the junta to relinquish office or face catastrophic consequences.
Despite ECOWAS threats, the junta has remained recalcitrant. According to the regional group, the military had until yesterday to hand over authority to the democratically elected president.
On Sunday, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu met with governors from Sokoto, Kebbi, Yobe, Katsina, and Jigawa, all of which share borders with Niger Republic.
While specifics were not immediately divulged, the meeting is thought to be part of broader discussions about Niger’s political turmoil.
Tinubu, the Chairman of the ECOWAS, had on Friday asked the Nigerian Senate to approve his request for “military build-up and deployment of personnel for military intervention to enforce compliance of the military junta in Niger should they remain recalcitrant.”
The Senate, on the other hand, rejected the request on Saturday, pushing ECOWAS to pursue negotiation rather than conflict.
