00:00 ECOWAS Heads of State are to hold another extraordinary summit on the political situation
00:06 in the Republic of Niger.
00:08 Nigeria President Bola Ahmetinogu, who is also the chairman of the authority of Heads
00:13 of State and government of ECOWAS has convened another extraordinary summit of the authority
00:18 on the political crisis in the Republic of Niger.
00:21 The summit will take place in Abuja on Thursday, August 10.
00:26 The ECOWAS leaders will be considering and discussing the recent developments in Niger
00:30 after a coup ousted President Mohamed Bazoum.
00:33 ECOWAS has warned that it will take what it calls "all necessary measures" if Bazoum
00:37 is not reinstated.
00:38 However, Niger's military leaders remain defiant.
00:42 They have closed airspace and put border forces on high alert.
00:46 They say that Niger is ready to defend itself and they are warning against any foreign aggression.
00:51 Landlocked Niger is more than twice the size of France and many flight paths across Africa
00:56 would normally pass through its airspace.
00:59 Air France has suspended flights to and from Burkina Faso and Bamako in Mali, which both
01:04 border Niger until Friday and warned that some flight times would increase.
01:09 The ECOWAS spokesperson said yesterday that the bloc would hold the extraordinary summit
01:13 in Abuja, the Nigerian capital where its headquarters are located.
01:17 The 15-nation bloc has taken a harder stance on the Niger coup, the region's seventh
01:22 in three years, than it did on previous ones.
01:25 ECOWAS defence chiefs had agreed on Friday on a possible military action plan if the
01:29 detained President Mohamed Bazoum was not released and reinstated, although they said
01:34 operational decisions would be decided by the respective heads of state.
01:38 However, the bloc is not united.
01:40 The military governments in Mali and Burkina Faso, both ECOWAS members have promised to
01:46 come to the defence of their counterparts in Niger if needed.
01:50 A fracture within ECOWAS and escalation of the standoff with Niger would further destabilise
01:55 one of the world's poorest regions which is already facing a hunger crisis and armed groups
02:00 that have killed thousands of people and displaced millions.
02:03 -
02:09 (dramatic music)
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