Eight leaders of the Economic Community of West African States have arrived in Abuja ahead of the summit which is centered on the coup in Niger Republic.
As of the time of filing this report, the eight leaders that have arrived are Presidents Julius Maada Bio of Sierra Leone, Umaro Mokhtar Sissoco (Guinea Bissau), Everiste Ndayishimiye (Burundi), Alassane Ouattara (Cote d’Ivoire), Mohamed Ould Ghazouani (Mauritania), Nana Akufo-Ado (Ghana), Macky Sall (Senegal) and Patrice Talon (Benin).
The leaders currently being expected are the Presidents of Togo, Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé Eyadéma and Adama Barrow of The Gambia.
It had been earlier reported that leaders from the West African bloc, ECOWAS, would meet on Thursday for an emergency summit on the coup in Niger after the country’s military chiefs defied an ultimatum to restore the elected president.
Two weeks after the coup that toppled Mohamed Bazoum, the ECOWAS said it was seeking a diplomatic solution but has not ruled out using force to resolve the crisis.
Important decisions are expected from the gathering in Nigeria’s capital Abuja, according to a statement from the 15-nation organisation on Tuesday.
Struggling to stem a cascade of coups among its members since 2020, the bloc gave the troops who seized power on July 26 until last Sunday to reinstate Bazoum or face the potential use of force.
But the coup leaders remained defiant and the deadline passed without action.
In their latest show of resistance against international pressure, the military leaders named a new government, according to a decree read out on national television on Thursday.
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