African Union suspends participation of Niger following coup, urges release of elected president
- The AU Peace and Security Council reiterates West African bloc ECOWAS’ calls for coup leaders to release elected President Mohamed Bazoum
- The AU urges member states and the international community to refrain from action that could legitimise Niger’s junta, and rejects outside interference
The African Union (AU) has suspended Niger from all its activities following a military coup last month, it said in a statement released on Tuesday, reiterating calls for the coup leaders to release elected President Mohamed Bazoum and return to their barracks.
The AU Peace and Security Council has taken note of West African bloc ECOWAS’ decision to activate a standby force for a possible military intervention and asked the AU Commission to assess the economic, social, and security implications of deploying such a force.
The Peace and Security Council “requests the AU Commission to undertake an assessment of the economic, social and security implications of deploying a standby force in Niger and report back to Council,” the bloc said, following strong differences on the matter.
ECOWAS has said it is prepared to send troops into Niger if diplomatic efforts to restore democracy fail.
The AU called on all of its member states and the international community to refrain from any action that could legitimise Niger’s junta, and said it strongly rejected interference from any actor or country outside of Africa.
Additional reporting from Agence France-Presse
