A delegation from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) met with deposed Niger President Mohammed Bazoum on Saturday in a new diplomatic drive to address the conflict.
Former Nigerian President Abdulsalami Abubakar stated that the team met with Bazoum in Niamey, Niger, in the presence of Prime Minister Ali Zaine, who was installed by the Niger military regime following the July 26 coup.
“We met Bazoum and learned from him what had happened to him.” “He told us about his problems,” Abubakar said.
A positive outlook According to Abubakar, the meeting kicked off conversations that will lead to a settlement to the problem.
An earlier ECOWAS mission failed to meet with junta authorities in August because the military administration refused them an audience.
The current meeting comes only one day after West African military chiefs convened in Ghana and vowed to use force to reinstate Bazoum if diplomacy fail.
As the danger of ECOWAS military action looms, thousands of men lined up in Niger on Saturday to enlist for the armed forces.
Niger’s army numbers at 33,000 soldiers.