Niger Coup: ECOWAS Orders General Tchiani To Return Muhammed Bazoum To Power …Issues Ultimatum…Considers Military Operation

Presidents of member countries of the   Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), met at the State House, Abuja on Sunday to discuss the coup detat carried out by military officers in the Republic of Niger on Friday.

The meeting which was presided over by Chairman of the ECOWAS Authority, President Bola Tinubu began at 12:58 pm.

Members of Niger’s Presidential Guard had after announcing that President Muhammed Bazoum has been overthrown on Friday named General Abdourahamane Tchiani as the nation’s new leader.

The ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, on Sunday, however issued a seven-day ultimatum demanding that Muhammed Bazoum  should be returned to power without delay.

They have also imposed land and border closures and suspended all commercial flights between Niger and ECOWAS member countries.

Team@orientactualmags.com learned that President of the ECOWAS Commission, Omar Touray, who announced these resolutions, also hinted at a military operation.

He said all Chiefs of Defense Staff of the member countries will proceed for an emergency meeting to strategize on effective ways to implement a possible military operation that will have Bazoum returned to power.

 ‘ECOWAS will take all measures necessary to restore constitutional order in the Republic of Niger.

Such measures may include the use of force.

To this effect, the Chiefs of Defense Staff of ECOWAS are to meet immediately’ he said.

 ECOWAS has  also according to him approved the  suspension of all commercial and financial transactions between ECOWAS Member countries and Niger. Freeze all service transactions including energy transactions.

Freeze assets of the Republic of Niger in Aqua Central Bank. Freeze of assets of the Niger republic and the state enterprises and parastatals in commercial banks.

Suspension of measure from all financial assistance and transactions with all financial institutions, particularly EBID’ he said.

 Member countries of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) are Benin, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Cote d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo.

General Tchiani, who has been in charge of   the Presidential Guard since 2011,  has however explained that  the coup was military’s response to ‘the degradation of the security situation’ while  issuing  a warning about ‘the consequences of any foreign military intervention’  saying, ‘Certain dignitaries…are thinking of confrontation’  which ‘will end in nothing but the massacre of the Nigerien population and chaos’-Team@orientactualmags.com
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