Chairman of ECOWAS, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has convened another Extraordinary Summit on the political situation in the Republic of Niger.
A statement published on the website of the West African regional bloc on Monday disclosed that: “The Summit will hold in Abuja, on Thursday, August 10, 2023.
“The ECOWAS Leaders will be considering and discussing the political situation and recent developments in Niger during the Summit”.
Credible News reports that Niger’s military rulers announced Sunday that they had closed the country’s airspace, warning that any attempt to violate it would meet with an “energetic and immediate response.
“Faced with the threat of intervention, which is becoming clearer through the preparation of neighbouring countries, Niger’s airspace is closed from this day on Sunday… for all aircraft until further notice”, the country’s new rulers said in a statement.
The announcement came as the deadline from the West African bloc ECOWAS for them to hand back power to the democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum was due to expire.
ECOWAS last Sunday issued Niger’s new military rulers with an ultimatum to stand down within the week or face possible military intervention.
Recall that Bazoum was overthrown on July 26 when members of his own guard detained him at the presidency.