Niger coup: West Africa’s military chiefs converge in Abuja

Defence Chiefs from West Africa  are currently meeting at the Defence Headquarters in Abuja.

The meeting is coming after the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, issued a seven-day ultimatum to the military junta in Niger Republic to hand over power to the democratically elected government of Muhammed Bazoum.

The leaders gave the junta seven days to reinstate President Mohamed Bazoum, who is being held captive.

Earlier, the junta warned it would resist any plan of aggression against Niger by regional or Western powers.

A statement read out after the Sunday summit in Nigeria said that Ecowas had zero tolerance for coups.

The regional bloc said it would take all measures necessary to restore constitutional order of its demands were not met within a week.

“Such measures may include the use of force, and military chiefs are to meet immediately to o plan for an intervention, the statement added.

The Special Representative and Head of the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel was at the meeting, and said Ecowas had taken a decisive action because events in Niger were concerning.

This is the first time ECOWAS has threatened military action to reverse the coups that have taken place in the region in recent years.

It last sanctioned military intervention in 2017, when Senegalese troops were deployed to The Gambia to force long-serving ruler Yahya Jammeh to leave office after he refused to accept defeat in elections.