National Telescope national telescope newspaper
Military chiefs representing the West African bloc, ECOWAS, are set to convene in Ghana this week for discussions on potential intervention in Niger, according to both military and political sources in the region.
This announcement follows a recent event where human rights activists in Niger reported their inability to access detained political officials who were apprehended following a coup approximately three weeks ago.
In an interesting development, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken emphasized the viability of diplomatic efforts to reverse the coup in Niger. Blinken commended President Bola Tinubu for his leadership role in addressing the crisis in Niger.
The two-day meeting, initially slated for the previous weekend but postponed, is scheduled for Thursday and Friday.
ECOWAS leaders endorsed the deployment of a “standby force to restore constitutional order” in Niger during a summit held in Abuja, Nigeria, last week. The summit also underscored the bloc’s preference for a diplomatic resolution to the situation.
Human rights activists in Niger expressed concern over their inability to reach detained political figures, including former government ministers, who were taken into custody by mutinous soldiers following the ousting of Niger’s democratically elected president, Mohamed Bazoum.
According to Ali Idrissa, executive secretary of the Network of Organizations for Transparency and Analysis of Budgets, requests to visit these detainees and ensure their well-being have gone unanswered.
The coup-instigated junta currently in power has held President Bazoum, his wife, and son under house arrest since July 26, alleging that Bazoum is to be prosecuted for “high treason” and charges related to undermining state security – crimes that carry the possibility of the death penalty in Niger.
