West African leaders to hold emergency summit over Niger coup

Niger’s military leaders have warned against any armed intervention in the country as West African leaders are set to meet in Nigeria on Sunday for an emergency summit to decide on further actions to pressure the army to restore constitutional order.

The country faces being cut off from the regional central bank and financial market, have borders closed and be suspended from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), as well as the West African Economic and Monetary Union.

Chad, which neighbours Niger to the east, is not a member of the regional organisations but has been invited to the ECOWAS summit, a statement from the country’s president’s office said on Saturday.

Niger is one of the poorest countries in the world, receiving close to $2 billion (€1.813 million) a year in official development assistance, according to the World Bank. It is also a security partner of former colonial power France and the United States and both use it as a base to fight an Islamist insurgency in west and central Africa’s wider Sahel region.

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The West African leaders could also, for the first time, consider a military intervention to restore president Mohamed Bazoum to power after he was ousted when Gen Abdourahamane Tiani was declared the new head of state on Friday.

In advance of the summit, military leaders in Niger warned, in a statement read on national television on Saturday night, against any military intervention.

“The objective of the ECOWAS meeting is to approve a plan of aggression against Niger through an imminent military intervention in Niamey in collaboration with other African countries that are non-members of ECOWAS and certain western countries,” junta spokesman Col Amadou Abdramane said.

“We want to once more remind ECOWAS, or any other adventurer, of our firm determination to defend our homeland,” he said.

The junta issued a second statement on Saturday night inviting citizens in the capital take to the streets from 7am to protest against ECOWAS and show support for the new military leaders.

[ Niger coup: Blinken calls for immediate release of ousted president ]

Bazoum has not been heard from since early Thursday when he was confined within the presidential palace, although the European Union, France and others say they still recognise him as the legitimate president.

The EUand France have cut off financial support to Niger and the United States has threatened to do the same.

After an emergency meeting on Friday, the African Union issued a statement demanding that the military return to their barracks and restore constitutional order within 15 days. It did not say what would happen after that. – Reuters