Another attempt to reverse the political situation and avoid a war in Niger has seen former Nigerian military leader Abdulsalami Abubakar lead another ECOWAS delegation to Niamey, the capital of Niger.
The delegation arrived in Niamey on Saturday, a day after ECOWAS defense chiefs agreed on a date to intervene militarily in Niger.
This is the second time that Abubakar has visited Niger since the July 26 coup. On his first visit, his delegation, including the Sultan of Sokoto, Saad Abubakar, was denied access to the city and was unable to meet with the junta leader, General Abdourahmane Tchiani.
Tchiani later apologized, saying they were angry at ECOWAS for not hearing their own side of the story before issuing an ultimatum.
Junta leaders in Niger also rejected a request for a meeting by a joint UN, AU and ECOWAS delegation, citing security reasons.
UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told a news conference on Friday that UN Special Representative for West Africa and the Sahel Leonardo Simao may arrive in Niger to meet with the ruling military and other parties to facilitate a rapid and peaceful resolution of the crisis in Niger.
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Responding to a question about the UN position on the use of force by ECOWAS, Mr. Dujarric said that “what we want to see is a return to constitutional order. We want to see the release of the president and his family and the restoration of legitimate authority from him.”
“We have seen what ECOWAS is discussing. We have also seen what the AU has said. Our focus right now is to do what we can to see a return to constitutional order…” she added.
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Let hear it in the comment below if you do have an opinion on this; Once again, Abdulsalami heads the ECOWAS delegation in Niger