Abubakar leads ECOWAS mission for negotiation with Niger junta

President Bola Tinubu (right) welcoming British Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, James Cleverly, at the Presidential Villa in Abuja…yesterday. PHOTO: PHILIP OJISUA

• Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, Guinea absent at defence chiefs’ parley
• UK welcomes moves to reinstate Bazoum

Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), yesterday, sent a delegation to Niger to negotiate with military officers who seized power in last week’s coup, even as regional defence chiefs met in Nigeria.

ECOWAS had, on Sunday, imposed sanctions on Niger, warning it could authorise use of force if the coup leaders do not reinstate elected President Mohamed Bazoum within a week.

“The military option is the very last on the table, the last resort, but we have to prepare for the eventuality,” said Abdel-Fatau Musah, ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security.

“There is a need to demonstrate that we cannot only bark but can bite,” he told reporters in Abuja, adding: “The delegation to Niger is being led by former Nigerian military leader, Abdulsalami Abubakar, who arrived on Wednesday (yesterday) to start talks with the junta.”

At the meeting of the defence chiefs, Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso and Guinea were absent.

The session was chaired by Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa.
The military leaders discussed the political situation in Niger Republic, against the backdrop of the seven-day ultimatum by ECOWAS.

This came as visiting UK Foreign Secretary, James Cleverly, yesterday, said his country backs the wide range of sanctions announced by ECOWAS.

Addressing State House correspondents, moments after he met with Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, the UK Foreign Secretary said his government welcomed the regional bloc’s actions to restore democratic tenets in the West African region.

During the closed-door meeting with President Tinubu as Chairman of ECOWAS, Cleverly said: “We touched briefly on the situation in Niger. I made the point that the UK very much welcomes ECOWAS and his (Tinubu’s) indeed decisive action, his strong commitment to democracy and the unambiguous message, that violence is not the means to bring political change in any circumstance, and that the commitment to democracy in Nigeria and the region is unwavering.

“This very much supports the UK’s position. We wish to see peace and democracy restored in Niger. And we will, of course, continue to liaise with our strong friends in the region and membership of ECOWAS, including Nigeria, as we seek to bring about stability, peace, and democracy to Niger”.

Cleverly, who is on a four-day African visit and scheduled to spend two days in Nigeria, is on a three-country visit, where he is prioritising future-focused and mutually-beneficial partnership.