In a joint statement, ECOWAS gave the military government in Niger one week to relinquish power and immediately release and reinstate Mr. Bazoum, who has been detained since July 26.
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| Niger President Mohamed Bazoum was deposed hours after being detained in the presidential palace. (Source: Bloomberg) |
In a joint statement issued after the emergency summit of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) on July 30 in the capital Abuja (Nigeria), ECOWAS gave the military government in Niger one week to relinquish power, immediately release and reinstate Mr. Bazoum, who has been detained since July 26.
The statement said that if the demands are not met within a week, ECOWAS will take all necessary measures, including force, to restore constitutional order in Niger. In the event of military intervention, the ECOWAS military chiefs will convene immediately.
The organization also announced financial sanctions against Niger, freezing all financial and commercial transactions between ECOWAS countries and Niger. In the statement, West African leaders also condemned some foreign forces for aiding the coup in this country.
On July 26, soldiers in Niger overthrew democratically elected President Bazoum and detained him in the Presidential Palace, closing the borders and imposing a nationwide curfew. On July 28, General Abdourahamane Tchiani, who has headed the Presidential Guard since 2011, declared himself the new leader of the unstable African nation and warned that any foreign military intervention would lead to chaos.
Niger's military officials have spoken out against any armed intervention in the country, as West African leaders met in the Nigerian capital Abuja to discuss moves to pressure the Nigerien army to restore constitutional order.
The heads of state of the 15-member ECOWAS and the eight-country West African Economic and Monetary Union could expel Niger from these organizations, sever Niamey's links with the regional central bank and financial markets, and close its borders.
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