A meeting of ECOWAS military chiefs to decide the modalities for activating an ECOWAS “standby force” to reinstate elected President Mohamed Bazoum of Niger scheduled for today in Accra Ghana’s capital has been postponed indefinitely.
Bazoum was ousted by soldiers on 26 July they have since moved to establish a governance structure, along with the appointment of a civilian prime minister. Chiefs of staff from member states of the West African bloc were set to attend the meeting in Accra, but they later said the meeting had been suspended indefinitely for “technical reasons”. Sources said the meeting was originally set up to inform the organization’s leaders about “the best options” for activating and deploying the standby force. ECOWAS has yet to provide details on the force or a timetable for action, and the leaders have emphasized they still want a peaceful and diplomatic solution. A new meeting for the military chiefs is now being scheduled for next week, a spokesperson for the regional bloc ECOWAS said on Friday, according to a report by AFP.