A final statement issued from the annual summit of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) announced that a committee of three leaders was formed on Sunday to negotiate with the military council in Niger regarding the transition to democratic governance and to consider easing sanctions. Niger became the latest ECOWAS member to experience a coup in July when military personnel from the presidential guard detained President Mohamed Bazoum and established what they called a transitional government, amid a series of coups in the West African Sahel region.
During the summit held today in Nigeria's capital, Abuja, ECOWAS decided to form a committee made up of leaders from Togo, Sierra Leone, and Benin to engage with the military council in Niger, aiming to agree on a "short transitional roadmap" and to work towards "the rapid restoration of constitutional order."
ECOWAS stated, "Based on the outcomes of the discussions between the committee of heads of state and the (military council in Niger), the group will gradually ease the sanctions imposed on Niger." It added that if the military council does not adhere to the results of the discussions, the sanctions will remain in place, which may include the possibility of using force.
