*As regional group agrees to deploy Standby Force to Niamey
By OUR REPORTERS, Abuja, Niamey
Two weeks after its unsuccessful effort to meet with Military Held of State of the Republic of Niger, General Abdourahamane Tchiani, and ousted President Mohamedou Bazoum, Delegation of tne Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) was back in the neighbouring Francophone country to broker true on Saturday.
The DEFENDER reports that the standing ECOWAS delegation comprises Nigeria’s Former Military Head of State General Abdulsalami Abubakar, Sultan of Sokoto Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, himself a retired General of the Nigerian Army, and President of the ECOWAS Commission, Mr Omar Alieu Touray.
The high-powered delegation arrived in Niamey, the nation’s capital, to broker truce between the military regime and the Authority of Heads of State and Government of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
The visit was coming amidst warnings from different quarters that ECOWAS should refrain from activating its Standby Force with which it threatens to dislodge the new military regime in the Republic of Niger.
The move by the ECOWAS envoy largely populated by personalities of impeccable military backgrounds, General Abdulsalami Abubakar and Sultan Sa’ad Abubakar, was the second time since it waa appointed by ECOWAS Chairman and Nigeria’s President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to visit Republic of Niger for the resolution of the political impasse in the country.
The delegation is to mediate in the crisis that engulfed the francophone country since July 26, 2023, when members of the Presidential Guard and the Armed Forces led by General Abdourahamane Tchiani, overthrew Niger’s President Mohamed Bazoum.
The delegation, which arrived in Niamey early in the afternoon on Saturday, was received at the Diori Hamani International Airport, Niamey, by members of the National Council for the Safeguarding of the Homeland (CNSP) and the Prime Minister, Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine.
General Abubakar, Sultan Abubakar and Touray in their convoy to the Presidential Villa where they were, thereafter, received by the Niger’s Military Head of State and President of the National Council for the Safeguarding of the Homeland (CNSP), Abdourahamane Tchiani.
Although details of their discussion was unknown as at the time of filing this report, it was gathered that the ECOWAS team, while at the Presidential Villa, had the chance of space and time to meet with the ousted President, Bazoum, after the interface with the Head of State.
From Right: Sultan of Sokoto Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, ousted President of Republic of Niger, Mohamedou Bazoum, General Abdulsalami Abubakar (Rtd), and President of ECOWAS Commission Ali Touray, when the ECOWAS delegation met with Bazoum in Niamey, on Saturday August 19, 2023.
Meanwhile, ECOWAS has concluded modalities for the deployment of its Standby Force to the Republic of Niger.
The conclusion followed a two-day extraordinary meeting held in Accra, Ghana.
The Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, ECOWAS Commission, Dr Abdel-Fatau Musa, while addressing journalists, said that the meeting provided an opportunity for the Defence Chiefs to fine-tune their mission objectives, discuss personnel, equipment and resources needed and the commitment of each member state to the mission.
Abdel-Fatau also said that the meeting concluded the planning phase of the mission as the Standby Force is ready for deployment as soon as the Authority of Heads of State and Government of the ECOWAS region gives an order for the intervention mission.
