ECOWAS could send a diplomatic mission to Niger on Saturday, an official said Friday, as ECOWAS defence chiefs continued their talks in Ghana on the crisis in Niger after coup leaders there ignored the West African bloc's deadline to step down. The news comes as the US said it is making precautionary plans to evacuate two key drone and counter-terror bases in Niger if that becomes necessary under the West African nation's new ruling junta. Read our blog to see how the day's events unfolded. All times are Paris time (GMT+2).
CORRECTION: Contrary to what was stated Thursday on air, Guinea-Bissau is indeed represented in Accra by its army chief of staff. The president of Guinea-Bissau, Umaro Sissoco Embalo, has assured FRANCE 24 that his country “fully agrees with the decisions taken by ECOWAS at the meeting of the chiefs of staff”.
This live blog is no longer being updated.
9:36pm: 'Possible' diplomatic mission to Niger on Saturday
West African bloc ECOWAS could send a diplomatic mission to Niger on Saturday, an official said Friday, though previous delegations have failed to meet the country's new strongman.
"Tomorrow there is the possibility of an ECOWAS mission going into Niger to continue to pursue the peaceful path to restoration of constitutional order. We are ready to resolve the issue peacefully but it takes two to tango," said Abdel-Fatau Musah, an ECOWAS commissioner for political affairs and security.
9:20pm: ECOWAS force 'ready to go anytime the order is given' on Niger
The ECOWAS force is ready to intervene in Niger 'anytime the order is given', an official said Friday following talks on the coup that ousted Mohamed Bazoum as president.
"We are ready to go anytime the order is given. The D-Day is also decided," the official said after West African military chiefs held a second day of talks preparing for a possible armed intervention in Niger.
7:30pm: US readying plans to evacuate drone bases if necessary under Niger's new junta, commander says
The US is making precautionary plans to evacuate two key drone and counter-terror bases in Niger if that becomes necessary under the West African nation's new ruling junta, the Air Force commander for Africa said Friday.
That planning includes looking for US-allied nations in the Saharan and Sahel regions, some of the world's most active areas for al-Qaida and Islamic State-allied extremist groups, "that we could maybe partner up with, and then move our assets there," Air Force General James Hecker told reporters in Washington.
Hecker stressed that there had been no decision from the Biden administration regarding whether the Niger military's July 26 overthrow of the country's democratically elected president would compel US diplomats or security forces to leave the country.
Hecker added that he believed it would "weeks or much longer" before US officials would announce any kind of decision to evacuate, if it does come to that.
4:51pm: Nigeria leader warns of 'grave consequences' if Niger president's health suffers
Nigerian President Bola Tinubu warned there will be "grave consequences" if Niger's military regime allows ousted President Mohamed Bazoum's health to worsen under house arrest, a European official said Friday.
During a call to EU chief Charles Michel, the Nigerian leader, chair of the ECOWAS regional bloc which opposes the Niger coup, said: "President Bazoum's detention conditions are deteriorating."
Earlier, the EU official had mistakenly attributed the warning of "grave consequences" to Michel.
2:19pm: 'Very notion of freedom' at stake in Niger, says UN rights chief
The United Nations slammed Friday the generals who have seized power in Niger on "a whim", plunging the country further into misery and stranding thousands of migrants.
"The very notion of freedoms in Niger is at stake," UN rights chief Volker Turk said in a statement.
"Generals cannot take it upon themselves to defy -- at a whim -- the will of the people," he said. "Rule-by-gun has no place in today's world."
1:46pm: An ECOWAS military intervention in Niger would likely be 'very targeted', expert says
If West African bloc ECOWAS decides to intervene militarily in Niger, it would likely opt for a "narrow and focused" action, because Niger's vast size makes a conventional takeover "impossible". Paul Melly, a consulting fellow of the Africa programme at Chatham House, speaks to FRANCE 24.
12:09pm: ECOWAS offering Niger junta 'an option to choose the peace process'
FRANCE 24’s Justice Baidoo, reporting from Ghana, says that "all options are still on the table" at the ECOWAS talks. West African defence chiefs are "offering the junta in Niger an option to choose the peace process, which is for them to stand down without the military force", Baidoo added. He also said that it had been “very difficult to get any information from a lot of the ECOWAS officials who are here. In one hand they say that they are very settled in that this action is going to happen. In another they are unable to tell when and how that is going to happen”.
11:50am: UN rights chief says democracy must be restored in Niger
The United Nations on Friday slammed the generals who have seized power in Niger on "a whim" and plunged the country further into misery, demanding that constitutional order be immediately restored.
"Generals cannot take it upon themselves to defy – at a whim – the will of the people," UN rights chief Volker Turk said in a statement. "Rule-by-gun has no place in today's world."
Turk highlighted that Niger was already one of the poorest countries in the world, with nearly half of the population "mired in extreme poverty".
He warned that the coup was further worsening the situation, with borders closed, trade at a standstill and severe power cuts and rising food prices, and called for "full and free access for humanitarian assistance".
Turk lamented that "the very people who they elected to build a pathway to end their destitution have been removed by force against the constitutional order and detained by the coup leaders", he said.
"They must be released at once, and democracy restored."
Turk raised concerns about the announced decision by coup leaders to prosecute detained President Mohamed Bazoum.
"This decision is not only politically motivated against a democratically elected President but has no legal basis as the normal functioning of democratic institutions have been cast aside," he said.
He also described "a clampdown on civic space", pointing to allegations of intimidation against journalists and bans on international media outlets, as "very worrying".
Key developments from Thursday, August 17:
West African military chiefs began talks in Ghana on Thursday to discuss a possible armed intervention to reverse the coup in Niger.
The African Union has rejected the idea of a military intervention, as have several regional capitals.
The junta said it is open to talks but has been holding deposed President Mohamed Bazoum since it took power July 26 and says it wants to prosecute him for treason.
Read yesterday's liveblog to see how the day's events unfolded.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and Reuters)
