PRESIDENT Bola Ahmed Tinubu is currently meeting with the some critical stakeholders as part of efforts to defuse the political crisis in Niger Republic.
President Tinubu is the Chairman of the Authority of the Heads of State and Government of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
In attendance at the ongoing meeting are the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr Omar Touray; leader of the ECOWAS delegation to Niger Republic’s military junta, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, and the National Security Adviser (NSA) to the President, Malam Nuhu Ribadu.
Although there was no brief to the media on the agenda, a source revealed that the reason would revolve round averting armed conflict over the Niger Republic crisis.
In a related development, the African Union said Tuesday it had suspended Niger until civilian rule in the country is restored and would assess the implications of any armed intervention in the troubled Sahel nation.
The Peace and Security Council “requests the AU Commission to undertake an assessment of the economic, social and security implications of deploying a standby force in Niger and report back to Council,” the bloc said, following strong differences on the matter.
The AU last week held a meeting on the crisis against a backdrop of divergent views within the bloc over any military intervention.
The coup has heightened international worries over the Sahel, which faces growing insurgencies linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group.
Niger is the fourth nation in West Africa since 2020 to suffer a coup, following Burkina Faso, Guinea and Mali.
