President Bola Tinubu of Nigeria, Chair of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), presides over an extraordinary summit of the regional body on the political situation in the Republic of Niger.
The Nation Newspaper reported that the summit, to be held at the presidential villa, Abuja, will deliberate on developments in the neighboring Republic of Niger, in particular on the next line of action that will follow the resolutions and ultimatum issued to the Nigerien junta. , who recently dismissed the government of democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum. The ECOWAS authority demanded the immediate release of President Bazoum, his family and other members of the government who are all still detained by the military during the most recent extraordinary summit on July 30 in Abuja and imposed a series of sentences on Niger, namely the coup.
Several Nigerian and Nigerian parties have tried to persuade ECOWAS and the Nigerian military junta to handle the matter diplomatically and to continue talks to avoid exacerbating the crisis and the possibility of armed intervention.
However, army-appointed Prime Minister Ali Mahaman Liman Zeine presides over a 21-member government proclaimed this morning by the junta led by Abdourahamane Tchiani.
Julius Maada Bio from Sierra Leone, Umaro Sissoco Embalo from Guinea Bissau, Alassane Ouattara from Ivory Coast, Nana Akufo-Addo from Ghana, Macky Sall from Senegal, Patrice Talon from Benin and Faure Gnassingbe from Togo are among the Presidents of Member States present at the top.
Member states Gambia and Liberia are represented by their respective foreign ministers.
Presidents Mohammed Ould Ghazouani of Mauritania and Evariste Ndayishmiye of Burundi are also in attendance.