After an extraordinary summit of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) held in Abuja, Nigeria, Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara reaffirmed his support for the return to power of Mohamed Bazoum in Niger.
Indeed, the Ivorian head of state took to his Facebook page to express his clear support for Mohamed Bazoum, stating that he remains ‘the legitimate President of Niger’, democratically elected by the Nigerien people. President Ouattara declared, ‘With the ECOWAS Heads of State, we have reaffirmed our determination to fight against coups d’état and unconstitutional changes of government in our community space and demanded the release of President Bazoum, who remains the legitimately elected Head of State of Niger.’
Thus, President Ouattara supported Mohamed Bazoum, demonstrating the cooperation of African leaders in the face of efforts to destabilize and seize power undemocratically. The ECOWAS leaders, gathered in Abuja to assess the situation in Niger, gave the coup plotters a one-week deadline to reinstate Mohamed Bazoum as the head of state, highlighting their strong opposition to coups d’état and unconstitutional actions.
Furthermore, energy exchanges have also been suspended, hampering economic ties with Niger. Additionally, the country has been suspended from the West African development bank.
