President Bola Tinubu is currently leading an Extraordinary Session of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
The urgent meeting was convened in the wake of the coup d’état that occurred in the Republic of Niger, resulting in the disruption of the country’s constitutional political leadership.
The military takeover in Niger has drawn widespread condemnation from various international bodies, including the United States (U.S.), the European Union (EU), the United Nations (UN), the African Union (AU), and ECOWAS.
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General Abdourahamane Tchiani, the Commander of Niger’s Presidential Guards, declared himself the Head of a Transitional Government after his soldiers took President Mohamed Bazoum into custody on Wednesday.
Present at the State House Conference Center for the session were several leaders of member-states, including President Umaro Sissoco Embalo of Guinea-Bissau, Alassane Ouattara of Cote D’Ivoire, and Faure Gnassingbe of Togo.
Additionally, Presidents Macky Sall of Senegal, Patrice Talon of Benin, and Nana Akufo-Addo of Ghana were also in attendance, while Cape Verde and Liberia were represented by their respective Foreign Affairs Ministers.
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The Transitional President of Chad, Mahamat Deby, made an early appearance at the meeting and departed before it was officially opened.