The European Union is ready to impose sanctions against Niger in support of ECOWAS efforts to restore democracy, according to a communiqué published on its website.
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“The EU fully supports the efforts of ECOWAS and stands ready to back them up, including by introducing a new individual sanctions regime,” the European Union said in a communiqué on Saturday.
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The text says that the EU condemns the illegal detention of President Mohamed Bazum and his family, expresses concern about the deteriorating conditions of his detention and calls for his release.
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“The EU reaffirms the call for a return to constitutional order, welcomes the decisions of the ECOWAS heads of state and reiterates the intention to seek diplomatic ways out of the crisis,” the communiqué said.
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On Thursday, an emergency ECOWAS summit was held in Abuja on the situation in Niger. The organization was reported to have instructed a committee of the Chiefs of Defense Staff to immediately activate reserve forces to restore constitutional order in Niger. Later, the President of Côte d’Ivoire, Alassane Ouattara, said that ECOWAS supported the early start of a military intervention in Niger.
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At the end of July, the Niger military announced on national television the removal of President Mohamed Bazum from power. Most Western leaders and the Economic Community of West Africa (ECOWAS) regional organization condemned the coup. In early August, participants in ECOWAS adopted a plan in the event of a military intervention in Niger.
