Military chiefs from several West African countries met in Abuja on Monday to discuss the recent coup in Niger. The meeting, which was chaired by the chairman of ECOWAS military chiefs, Gen. Christopher Musa, was attended by representatives from Togo, Sierra Leone, Senegal, Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia, Guinea, Gambia, Côte d’Ivoire, Cabo Verde, and the Republic of Benin.
Okay.ng reports that the seats allocated to Mali, Guinea Bissau, Niger, and Burkina Faso military chiefs were vacant.
ECOWAS had given the Niger coup leaders a one-week ultimatum to restore democratic order in the country or face military action. The ultimatum expires on Sunday.
Nigerien President Mohamed Bazoum was held in his palace last Wednesday by the nation’s Presidential Guard. On Friday, General Abdourahamane Tchiani, Head of the presidential guard, was announced as the country’s new leader.
Tchiani, who has headed the Presidential Guard since 2011, said the coup was the military’s response to “the degradation of the security situation” linked to jihadist bloodshed.
In response to ECOWAS’ threat to use force, the Niger military issued a warning about “the consequences that will flow from any foreign military intervention,” saying, “Certain dignitaries…are in thinking of confrontation,” which “will end in nothing but the massacre of the Nigerien population and chaos.”
The outcome of the meeting in Abuja is unclear, but it is likely that the ECOWAS leaders will discuss their next steps in response to the coup.
