President Tinubu, ECOWAS Meet As Niger Coup Leaders Form New Government

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is meeting with eight leaders of the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, at the Presidential Villa, on Thursday regarding the coup in Niger Republic.

The summit focuses on potential actions after the military junta in Niger overthrew President Mohamed Bazoum.

As of the time of filing this report, the eight leaders that have arrived are President Julius Maada Bio (Sierra Leone), President.Umaro Mokhtar Sissoco (Guinea Bissau), President Everiste Ndayishimiye (Burundi), President Alassane Ouattara (Cote d’Ivoire), President Mohamed Ould Ghazouani (Mauritinia), President Nana Akofo-Ado (Ghana), President Macky Sall (Senegal) and President Patrice Talon (Benin).

The leaders currently being expected are, the President of Togo, Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé Eyadéma and President Adama Barrow of The Gambia.

Two weeks after the coup that toppled Mohamed Bazoum, the ECOWAS said it was seeking a diplomatic solution but has not ruled out using force to resolve the crisis.

Important decisions are expected from the gathering in Nigeria’s capital Abuja, according to a statement from the 15-nation organisation on Tuesday.

Struggling to stem a cascade of coups among its members since 2020, the bloc gave the troops who seized power on July 26 until last Sunday to reinstate Bazoum or face the potential use of force.

But the coup leaders remained defiant and the deadline passed without action.

In their latest show of resistance against international pressure, the military leaders named a new government, according to a decree read out on national television on Thursday.