Situation in Niger After Military Coup
On July 26, Niger's presidential guard detained President Mohamed Bazoum. The guard's commander, Gen. Abdourahmane Tchiani, proclaimed himself the country's new leader.

ECOWAS Reportedly Postpones Military Meeting on Standby Force for Niger

A meeting to deliberate on an action plan to address the situation in Niger was scheduled for August 12, but according to media reports, the ECOWAS military command will meet later on Monday.
Sputnik
A meeting of the ECOWAS' Chiefs of staff on the situation in Niger has been postponed for technical reasons, French media reported, citing military sources.
The generals were reportedly set to attend a meeting on Saturday in Ghana’s capital Accra. The meeting was initially organized to brief the organization's leadership on the "best options" for activating and deploying the reserve force, sources said.
An emergency ECOWAS summit on the situation in Niger was held on Thursday in Abuja, Nigeria.
Following the summit, West African leaders decided to deploy the group's standby force to respond to the coup in Niger. Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara later said that ECOWAS supported the early launch of a military intervention operation in Niger.
Infographic
How Sizeable is Niger's Army in Light of Possible Intervention?
The move was backed by the African Union, while Russia, the US and the UK called for a diplomatic solution to the crisis in the West African nation.
Moscow warned that a military solution to the crisis in Niger risks a protracted confrontation and the destabilization of the Sahara-Sahel region.
On July 26, Bazoum was ousted and detained by his guard, led by General Abdourahmane Tchiani. The caretaker National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland closed the country's borders and broke security agreements with France, its former metropole.