President Bola Tinubu has approved the return of a delegation of Islamic leaders (Ulama) to Niger Republic for another round of dialogue with the coup leaders who are also holding President Mohamed Bazoum in captiviting.
Tinubu made the decision on Thursday after a meeting with the top clerics led by Sheikh Dahiru Bauchi who were recently in Niamey, the Niger Republic capital, two weeks ago for dialogue with the junta led by General Abdourahamane Tiani.
Tinubu made the decision in his capacity as the Chairperson of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
Since the junta seized power from President Mohamed Bazoum July 26, 2023, ECOWAS had imposed sanctions on Niger in response to the coup and has not ruled out using force against the army officers.
The West African bloc has approved the deployment of a “standby force to restore constitutional order” in Niger as soon as possible but remains committed to finding a diplomatic solution to the crisis.
ECOWAS envoy to Niger Republic and former Nigerian Head of State, Abdulsalami Abubakar, upon return from the coup-torn country had said that his delegation’s meeting with Niger Republic coup leaders last weekend was fruitful.
He said diplomacy won’t fail to restore the democratically elected government of deposed President Mohamed Bazoum.
Tiani had said the junta will return to civilian rule within three years but ECOWAS rejected the move.
The African Union had suspended Niger Republic over the ongoing situation.
The coup against President Mohamed Bazoum has heightened international worries over the Sahel, which faces growing jihadist insurgencies linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group.
Niger is the fourth nation in West Africa since 2020 to suffer a coup, following Burkina Faso, Guinea and Mali.
The juntas in Burkina Faso and Mali have said that any military intervention in their neighbour would be considered a “declaration of war” against their countries.
The coup is the fifth in Niger’s history since the impoverished landlocked state gained independence from France in 1960.
Bazoum’s election in 2021 was a landmark, opening the way to the country’s first peaceful transition of power.
He has been held with his family at the president’s official residence since the coup, with growing international concern over his conditions in detention.