A day ahead of a meeting of West African military chiefs to hammer out what a military intervention in Niger might look like, the African Union and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) appeared at odds over whether military action should be on the table. Follow our live blog for the latest updates. All times are Paris time (GMT+2). The new US ambassador to Niger, Kathleen FitzGibbon, will arrive in Niamey, the State Department said on Wednesday, but declined to specify when she would travel to the country after a coup last month.
FitzGibbon’s arrival is a signal of Washington’s continued engagement with the situation, State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel told reporters, adding that there are no plans for her to present her credentials to coup leaders and that it is not necessary for the work at the embassy.
The African Union’s Peace and Security Council, the organ in charge of enforcing the bloc’s decisions, met in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa on Monday for talks on the crisis in Niger that one African diplomat described as "difficult".
According to several sources cited by French media, the council rejected an ECOWAS proposal to stage a military intervention unless the Nigerien military junta cedes power and reinstates President Mohamed Bazoum. Bazoum has been under house arrest since the July 26 coup.
Speaking to FRANCE 24’s sister station RFI, a diplomat who attended the meeting said many southern and northern African member countries were “fiercely against any military intervention”.
