AU Suspends Niger Over Coup, Plans Sanctions

The African Union (AU) has suspended the member-state of Niger from all AU activities following last month’s military coup and has called upon all AU members to avoid any action that could be seen to legitimize the junta that ousted the duly elected President Bazoum, reported Reuters on Tuesday.
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has been attempting to engage with the junta but has said that if diplomatic attempts fail, it will send soldiers into Niger to restore constitutional order.
On Tuesday, ECOWAS mediator Abdulsalami Abubakar, a former Nigerian military commander, said a weekend visit to Niger had been “very fruitful” and that he still hoped for a peaceful conclusion.
The AU Peace and Security Council also stated on Tuesday that it had taken notice of ECOWAS’s intention to activate a standby force and urged the AU Commission to study the economic, social, and security consequences of deploying such a force.
Colonel Amadou Abdramane appeared on national television on July 26th to announce the coup d’état in Niger, declaring that the military had dissolved the constitution, had suspended all institutions, and had closed the country’s borders.
The coup leaders jailed Bazoum and disbanded the elected government, sparking outrage from world powers and ECOWAS, which vowed last week to take military action if diplomacy fails.