Maintain pressure on Niger junta, US tells ECOWAS, hails Tinubu

Maintain pressure on Niger junta, US tells ECOWAS, hails Tinubu

 

The United States has stressed the need for the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to maintain pressure on the junta in Niger Republic to restore constitutional order in the country.

Antony Blinken, United States secretary of state, stated this, according to a statement released by the US State Department.

He commended President Bola Tinubu’s leadership of ECOWAS on the Niger Republic crisis.

Blinken was said to have spoke with President Tinubu via phone on Monday.

“The Secretary commended President Tinubu’s leadership of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Second Extraordinary Summit on the situation in the Republic of Niger,” the statement read.

“He noted the importance of maintaining pressure on the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland (CNSP) to restore constitutional order and to see President Mohamed Bazoum and his family released.”

In a tweet, Blinken said, “Spoke to Nigerian President Tinubu to commend his leadership of the Economic Community of West African States and discussed shared efforts to restore constitutional order in Niger.”

 

ECOWAS has led the international community in the aftermath of the Niger coup.

A few hours after the July 26 coup, Tinubu condemned the development, saying ECOWAS would not tolerate anti-democratic acts in the region.

In the union’s first meeting on the development, ECOWAS slammed a number of sanctions on Niger including the closure of all land and air borders between member countries and Niger, as well as ‘no fly zone’ on all commercial flights to and from Niger.