According to a decree broadcast on national television on Thursday, the military officers who took control in the Republic of Niger in a July coup have constituted a new government.
Prime Minister Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine of Niger will lead the 21-member government, with generals from the new military ruling council in charge of the defense and interior ministries.
Meanwhile, top diplomats from the United Nations, African Union, and Economic Community of West African States will descend on Abuja, the nation’s capital, on Thursday (today), to make significant decisions at an Extraordinary Summit on political progress in the Niger Republic.
Remember that the Niger military junta severed diplomatic ties with Nigeria after the ECOWAS ambassador sent to the nation to mediate peace talks failed to produce a result.
A military junta deposed Niger’s democratically elected President, Mohamed Bazoum, last month.
Tensions in West Africa have remained high to this day.
