A statement released by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has annoumced that Nigeria’s president and Chairman of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of the ECOWAS, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has convened another Extraordinary Summit of the Authority on the political situation in the Republic of Niger. The Summit will hold in Abuja, on Thursday, August 10, 2023.
The statement disclosed that ECOWAS Leaders will be considering and discussing the political situation and recent developments in Niger during the Summit.
Meanwhile, reports emerging from Niger say The military junta is taking steps to strengthen its defences against a potential invasion by forces of some ECOWAS Member States.
Sources say military leaders have closed the country’s airspace and called on people to get ready to defend the homeland.
The implications of the airspace closure for commercial flights are immense. Aviation experts have said that it adds to the difficulties faced by airlines flying between Europe and southern Africa, adding 1000 kilometers and more than an hour of flight time to some routes.
