For meetings with the military leaders that overthrew President Mohamed Bazoum, a delegation from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has arrived in Niger.
Abdulsalami Abubakar, a former president of Nigeria, is the leader of the ECOWAS delegation.
The arrival of ECOWAS delegates has also been confirmed by the military council in charge of Niger.
The team arrived on an aircraft in Niamey, the capital of Niger, on Saturday, a day after the ECOWAS military commanders declared their readiness to act to restore Bazoum.
To finalize the specifics of a prospective military action to reinstall Bazoum if continuing discussions with the coup leaders fail, ECOWAS defense chiefs convened this week in Accra, the capital of Ghana.
After generals overthrew and imprisoned Bazoum, ECOWAS decided to mobilize a “standby force” as a last resort to reestablish democracy in Niger.
The West African bloc, meanwhile, asserts that it favors dialogue to diffuse the problem.
A source close to the most recent delegation, meanwhile, said that it will see Bazoum and deliver “a message of firmness” to the army leaders.
Abdel-Fatau Musah, an ECOWAS commissioner for political affairs and security, stated on Friday following the meeting of the military leaders, “We are ready to go any time the order is given.”
