Abdulsalami Again Leads ECOWAS Delegation To Niger Over Coup

Former Nigerian military leader Abdulsalami Abubakar has led another ECOWAS delegation to Niamey, Niger’s capital in another attempt to calm the political situation and avoid a war in the country.

The delegation arrived Niamey yesterday after ECOWAS defence chiefs on Friday agreed on a date to militarily intervene in the country.

It is Abubakar’s second visit to Niger since the July 26 coup.

On the first visit, his delegation which included the Sultan of Sokoto, Saad Abubakar, was denied access to the city and could not meet the coup leader, General Abdourahmane Tchiani.

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Tchiani later apologized, saying they were angry at ECOWAS for not listening to their own side of the story before issuing an ultimatum.

The coup leaders also reportedly turned down a request to meet a joint delegation of the UN, AU and ECOWAS, citing security reasons.

UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said on Friday at a press briefing that the UN Special Representative for West Africa and the Sahel, Leonardo Simao, could arrive Niger to meet the military rulers and other parties to facilitate a swift and peaceful resolution to the crisis.

Responding to a question about the UN’s position on the use of force by ECOWAS, Dujarric said; “What we want to see is a return to constitutional order. We want to see the liberation of the president and his family and the restoration of his legitimate authority.”

“We have seen what ECOWAS is discussing. We’ve also seen what the AU has said. Our focus right now is on doing what we can to see a return to the constitutional order.”