His Excellency President Dr Julius Maada Bio and ten other Heads of State and Government in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) are in a close-door Extraordinary Summit in Abuja, Federal Republic of Nigeria, to deliberate on the political impasse in Niger Republic following the latest coup in the subregion.

The summit, which is being presided over by the Chairman of the Authority, His Excellency President Bola Tinubu, at the Banquet Hall of the State House, will discuss, take decisions and issue a communique, particularly on the next line of actions as a follow-up on earlier resolutions and ultimatum issued to the Nigerien junta, which last month sacked the administration of the democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum.

The ECOWAS leaders attending the Extraordinary Session include Presidents Julius Maada Bio of Sierra Leone, Umaro Mokhtar Sissoco of Guinea Bissau, Everiste Ndayishimiye of Burundi, President Alassane Ouattara of Cote d’Ivoire and President Mohamed Ould Ghazouani of Mauritania.

Others are Presidents Nana Akofo-Ado of Ghana, Macky Sall of Senegal, Patrice Talon of Benin Republic, Faure Essozimna and Gnassingbé Eyadéma of Togo. The Gambia and Liberia are member-states being represented by their Ministers of Foreign Affairs.

At the end of the day’s long meeting, the resolution partly reads: “Direct the Committee of the Chief of Defence Staff to activate the ECOWAS stand-by force with all its elements immediately.”

“Order the deployment of the ECOWAS stand-by force to restore constitutional order in the Republic of Niger.”

“Underscore its continued commitment to the restoration of constitutional order through peaceful means.”