ECOWAS Delegation Arrives Niger As Mali, Burkina Faso Deploy Warplanes

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) delegation has landed in Niamey, the capital of Niger for the final discussion with the military junta led by General Abdourahamane Tchiani.

The delegation, which was led by former Nigeria’s Head of State, Abdulsalami Abubakar also had the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar.

United Nations Special Representative for West Africa and the Sahel, Leonardo Santos Simao who arrived in the restive West African nation on Friday, will also join the ECOWAS delegation in the meeting.

The visit comes a day after military chiefs in the region, disclosed that they were ready to intervene to reinstate President Mohamed Bazoum, kicked out of office and detained since July 26, 2023.

According to reports, the delegation is expected to facilitate a resolution to the ongoing crisis in the Niger Republic.

The arrival of the ECOWAS team which landed in Niamey around 1:00 p.m. (1200 GMT) was by Niger’s governing military council.

Meanwhile, Burkina Faso and Mali, however, appear unperturbed by the threat by the ECOWAS Military Chiefs’ threat of possible intervention in Niger.

Both countries which are currently being ruled by the military were reported to have deployed warplanes within Niger’s borders on Friday.

“Mali and Burkina Faso turned their commitments into concrete action by deploying warplanes to respond to any attack on Niger,” it said, noting the planes were Super Tucano fighter jets.

The military governments in Mali and Burkina Faso called ECOWAS’s bluff, saying an armed intervention in Niger would be met with force.

The television station said the military leaders from Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger convened Friday in the Nigerien capital Niamey to decide on “concrete measures” in case ECOWAS chooses to “escalate a war.”

In a related development, Kanyi Daily reported that the United Nations (UN) has said there was no legal basis for the military junta in Niger to prosecute Bazoum for high treason.

The junta had on August 13, vowed that it will prosecute ousted Bazoum for high treason over his exchanges with foreign heads of state and international organisations.