A delegation from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) visited Niger on Saturday under the leadership of former military head of state Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar (rtd), in a last-ditch diplomatic effort to find a peaceful resolution with the military government.
According to BBC Hausa, the team was supposed to meet with the leader of the Niger Republic Coup, General Abdourahamane Tchiani, but instead, Prime Minister Ali Lamine Zeine greeted them.
The conversation with the representative of the West African country reportedly lasted about 90 minutes.
The reason Abdulsalami’s delegation was unable to meet with the junta is unknown, however there are unsubstantiated claims of another coup by the Niger Republic’s presidential guard.
According to Politics Nigeria, an earlier attempt by the ECOWAS group, also led by Abdulsalami, to meet with President Mohamed Bazoum and the coup leader was unsuccessful.
Tichiani later apologised when some Nigerian clerics met with him last weekend, saying they did not meet the delegation out of anger.
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