President Bola Tinubu met with five northern governors amid increasing diplomatic pressure on the Niger Republic’s putschists.
The President held consultations with governors at Aso Rock, Nigeria, to discuss the situation in the Niger Republic. The meeting was held at the State House in Abuja as ECOWAS and other member states imposed a border ban on the Niger Republic.
ECOWAS, led by Tinubu, threatened military action against the Niger Republic, with a deadline expiring on Sunday. France, which broke military ties with the junta after taking power, has backed ECOWAS’s actions after the deadline expired. The future of Niger and the region’s stability are at stake, according to French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna.
ECOWAS military chiefs have agreed on a plan for intervention to respond to the crisis, the latest of several coups in Africa’s Sahel region since 2020. ECOWAS commissioner Abdel-Fatau Musah emphasised the importance of diplomacy and providing the junta with every opportunity to reverse their actions.
The speaker warns that all elements for intervention in Niger have been worked out, including force deployment. Niger has been a key part of Western strategies to combat jihadist insurgencies since 2012. However, anti-French sentiment and Russian activity in the region have grown, and Moscow warns against armed intervention from outside Niger.
Nigeria has cut electricity supplies to Niger, raising concerns about the humanitarian situation, and Niamey has closed its borders, complicating food deliveries. Senior Nigerian politicians have called on President Bola Tinubu to reconsider military intervention.
The Senate urges Tinubu to strengthen political and diplomatic options, while senators from northern Nigerian states have advised against intervention until all other options have been exhausted. Tinubu himself urged ECOWAS to work towards an amicable resolution to the crisis in Niger.
