Niger Coup D’état : Plan To Compel Military Junta Afoot

Nigeria’s capital Abuja on Sunday July 30, 2023 played host to two regional bloc meetings. The first by Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the second by the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA). Niger’s eastern neighbour Chad, a non-member of both regional organizations, was invited to the ECOWAS meeting. During the meeting whose lone agenda was the situation in Niger, the Heads of State of ECOWAS and those of UEMOA brainstormed on how to compel the military junta in Niamey to return constitutional power to the democratically elected government headed by Mohamed Bazoum, who has not been heard from since Wednesday, 26, 2023 when he was deposed and confined within the presidential palace by the head of the presidential guards unit, Gen Abdourahmane Tchiani who has declared himself Niger’s new leader.
At press time, though nothing filtered from the meeting, most experts are of the opinion that the regional leaders have two main options on the table. Earmark an aggression plan against the military with an imminent military intervention in Niamey in collaboration with other African countries that are non-members of ECOWAS, and certain western countries or suspend Niger from its institutions, cut off the country from the regional central bank and financial market, and close borders.
The ECOWAS and UEMOA meetings are coming on the heels of an emergency African Union meeting on Friday, July 28, 2023 during which the AU issued a state...