Abdulsalami leads ECOWAS delegation for final talks with Niger coup leaders, meets ousted president

A delegation from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) led by Abdulsalami Abubakar, former head of state, has met with Mohamed Bazoum, Niger Republic’s ousted president.

The delegation which included Muhammad Abubakar, the Sultan of Sokoto, and Omar Touray, ECOWAS commission president, was received by Ali Lamine Zeine, Niger’s prime minister, on Saturday afternoon in Niamey, the country’s capital.

Abdel-Fatau Musah, ECOWAS commissioner for political affairs, peace and security, said the delegation was the bloc’s final effort before resorting to military intervention.

Musah spoke on Friday at the end of a two-day meeting in Accra, Ghana’s capital.

ECOWAS had doubled down on its threat to use force as a last resort to restore democracy in Niger, saying an undisclosed “D-Day” had been agreed for possible military intervention.

Musah said the troops were “ready to go anytime the order is given” but added that the bloc still favours diplomacy as the way to restore order in Niger.

But efforts by nations and global organisations to reach a peaceful resolution with the mutinous soldiers have failed.

A previous ECOWAS delegation led by Abdulsalami, two weeks ago tried to meet Bazoum and Abdourahamane Tiani, the coup leader, but was not successful.

The country’s military junta had also, at the last minute, rejected a tripartite peace mission from ECOWAS, the African Union (AU), and the United Nations (UN).

Abdulaziz Abdulaziz, media aide to President Bola Tinubu who is also the ECOWAS chairperson, posted a photo of the delegation meeting Bazoum on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.

Abdulaziz did not share details on the outcome of the talks.