The military junta in Niger Republic has officially ended diplomatic relations with Nigeria, along with Togo, France (its former colonizer), and the United States. This comes after the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) attempted to mediate the ongoing conflict but was unsuccessful. General Abdulsalami Abubakar (rtd) led a delegation that met with the junta representatives on August 4th, but their efforts did not yield a resolution.
Additionally, one of the junta members announced on national television that the roles of the Republic of Niger’s ambassadors to France, Nigeria, Togo, and the United States have been terminated. Meanwhile, ECOWAS, represented by Ambassador Babagana Kingibe, remains hopeful that negotiations will prevent the need for a military intervention. Kingibe, who was previously the Special Envoy to Lake Chad during the Muhammadu Buhari administration, played a key role in engaging with leaders from Libya and Algeria regarding the Niger crisis.
