Military chiefs of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) will again meet in Ghana this week to consider the possibility of intervening in the Niger Republic.
The meeting billed for Thursday and Friday was initially scheduled for last weekend but was then postponed.
The military leaders’ meeting is coming after ECOWAS leaders approved the deployment of a “standby force to restore constitutional order” in Niger last week.
Mohammed Bazoum, who is currently being held by the junta was deposed by the coupists on July 26.
Read also: UN, US, ECOWAS criticise Niger Junta’s prosecution of Bazoum
ECOWAS leaders summit, which took place last Thursday in Abuja, reaffirmed the bloc’s support for a diplomatic resolution.
The election of President Mohamed Bazoum in 2021 marked a turning point in Niger’s history because it marked the nation’s first peaceful transfer of power since gaining independence from France in 1960.
His removal sent shockwaves through West Africa, where Burkina Faso and Mali, both struggling with jihadist insurgencies, also experienced military takeovers.
On July 30, ECOWAS gave the military government of Niger a week to reinstate Bazoum or risk using force, but the time limit passed without any action being taken.
