West African bloc seeks solution to Niger coup as deadline nears

West African defence chiefs were set to wrap up discussions about possible intervention in Niger on Friday, as mediators from the regional bloc push coup leaders in Niamey to restore constitutional order before an approaching deadline.
The military junta in Niger is locked in a standoff with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), which has taken its hardest stance yet on last week’s ouster of President Mohamed Bazoum – the seventh coup in West and Central Africa since 2020.
In a blow to hopes of restoring the previous status quo, the junta revoked a raft of military cooperation agreements with France late on Thursday. There was no immediate response from France.
The move echoes similar moves by juntas in neighbouring Mali and Burkina Faso in the wake of their coups and could drastically reshape a joint fight against an Islamist insurgency.
France has between 1,000 and 1,500 troops in Niger, helping to fight an insurgency by groups linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State that has destabilised West Africa’s Sahel region.