The African Union (AU) has announced the suspension of Niger Republic from all its activities following a military coup and has also told its members to avoid any action that might legitimize the junta.
AU annoinced the decision on Tuesday, August 22, after a meeting of the AU’s Peace and Security Council in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa after several Western countries cut aid to Niger due to the July 26 coup that overthrew President Mohamed Bazoum.
The AU Peace and Security Council said in a communique on Tuesday that it had noted ECOWAS’ decision to activate a standby force and asked the AU Commission to assess the economic, social, and security implications of deploying such a force.
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) also imposed sanctions and agreed on a “D-day” to begin a military intervention through an already activated regional strike force.
ECOWAS which has already imposed broad sanctions on Niger which the AU endorsed, said the use of force would be the “last resort” after exhausting diplomatic channels for negotiation.
