Niger coup leaders willing to resolve standoff with ECOWAS

Coup leaders in Niger have said that they are willing to resolve a standoff with West Africa's regional bloc through diplomacy, Al Jazeera reported citing a group of senior Nigerian Islamic scholars who have held a meeting with army leaders in Niamey.

The visit comes at a time when the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is considering its options to restore civilian rule in Niger, including potential military intervention. ECOWAS' decision comes after Niger President Mohamed Bazoum was ousted in a coup d’etat by the presidential guard.

ECOWAS Chairman and Nigerian President Bola Tinubu gave approval to delegation of Islamic scholars' visit to Niamey, who had vowed to promote dialogue. The meeting between Islamic scholars and Niger's military government leader General Abdourahamane Tchiani lasted several hours, Sheikh Abdullahi Bala Lau, who led the delegation, said, according to Al Jazeera report.

Sheikh Abdullahi Bala Lau said, "He said their doors were open to explore diplomacy and peace in resolving the matter. Reportedly, General Abdourahamane Tchiani stressed on historic ties between Niger and Nigeria and said that the two nations "were not only neighbours but brothers and sisters who should resolve issues amicably."

Military leaders have issued no statement on the meeting. The coup leaders previous rebuffs of diplomatic efforts by ECOWAS, US and others had raised concerns over further conflict in the Sahel region of Africa, Al Jazeera reported.

For now, ECOWAS is pursuing efforts for further negotiations with Niger military leaders. On Saturday, ECOWAS parliament said it will ask Tinubu, who holds the revolving chairmanship, for allowing them to travel to Niger, according to bloc's spokesperson.

Meanwhile, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Guinea have expressed support for Niger’s new military authorities. On Saturday, General Abdourahamane Tchiani sent a delegation to Guinea's capital Conakry to thank country's leaders for their support.

At the meeting, Guinea's interim President Mamady Doumbouya said that they are "Pan-African" and stressed that they will always support their people when they face problems, according to Al Jazeera report.

On August 10, West African leaders ordered the "immediate activation" and the "deployment" of a regional standby force to restore constitutional order in the coup-hit Niger, CNN reported.

Leaders from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) held a meeting in Nigeria's Abuja after the expiration of the one-week ultimatum they gave to Niger's military junta.

ECOWAS leaders called for a deployment “to restore constitutional order in the Republic of Niger,” Omar Alieu Touray, President of the ECOWAS Commission, said in a statement.

The statement stressed a "determination to keep all options on the table for the peaceful resolution of the crisis," according to CNN. After the coup, ECOWAS announced sanctions and gave an ultimatum to Niger's ruling military junta to stand down within a week or face a potential military intervention.

The deadline on August 6 expired without any change in the political situation. ECOWAS leaders have said their preference is to find a diplomatic solution to the situation and would dispatch troops as a last resort.