Assistant Secretary for African Affairs of the United States Molly Phee met with Commission President of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Omar Alieu Touray in the Nigerian capital of Abuja on Saturday as part of her Africa trip that aims to pile pressure on Niger’s coup leaders.
"The President of the ECOWAS Commission, H.E Dr. Omar Alieu Touray has received the US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, H.E. Mrs Molly Phee at the ECOWAS Commission Headquarters in Abuja," the West African bloc said on social media.
On Friday, the senior US diplomat engaged in a trip across Nigeria, Chad and Ghana. The main purpose of the trip is to discuss with the countries' leaders "US support for ECOWAS and regional leadership in responding to the crisis in Niger." The Department of State said that efforts to have Niger’s ousted president freed from rebel captivity would be raised in all conversations.
Nigerien President Mohamed Bazoum was toppled in late July by his own elite guard and taken into custody in the national capital of Niamey. Coup leaders set up a caretaker government to oversee a transition of power and rejected ECOWAS' ultimatum to reinstate Bazoum, prompting a threat of a military intervention.