West Africa's ECOWAS parliament in new bid to engage with Niger coup leaders
ABUJA (Reuters) -West Africa's ECOWAS bloc aims to send a parliamentary committee to Niger to meet coup leaders who took power last month and have so far resisted diplomatic pressure to restore civilian rule, a parliament spokesperson said on Saturday.
Niger's military last month imprisoned President Mohamed Bazoum and assumed power, drawing condemnation from international powers who have threatened military action as a last resort while also saying they aim to resolve the situation peacefully.
But coup leaders, headed by General Abdourahamane Tiani, have rebuffed diplomatic efforts by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the United States and others, raising the spectre of further conflict in the impoverished Sahel region of West Africa, which is already overrun by a deadly Islamist insurgency.
At stake is not just the fate of Niger — a major uranium producer and key Western ally in the fight against the Islamists — but also the concerns of global powers with key strategic interests in the semi-desert zone.
U.S., French, German and Italian troops are stationed in Niger to repel local affiliates of al Qaeda and Islamic State that have killed thousands and displaced millions across the Sahel.
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