Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu said West African leaders should try all diplomatic routes to ensure a swift return to constitutional rule in Niger, including dialogue with the coup leaders there, as a summit of heads of state began on Thursday. In his role as chair of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Tinubu kicked off the summit in the Nigerian capital Abuja by saying that it was crucial to prioritise diplomacy as the bedrock of the bloc’s approach. As West African leaders huddle for emergency talks on Niger coup, FRANCE 24’s Rochelle FERGUSON BOUYAHI is joined by Dr. Leonardo A. Villalón, Dean of the International Center, Professor of Political Science and African Studies, and coordinator of the Sahel Research Group at the University of Florida.
Wielding carrot & stick diplomacy, ECOWAS launches ‘diplomatic discussions’ to find ‘common voice’
