Breaking: African Union suspends Niger Republic and orders its military rulers to “return to their barracks.”

Following a military takeover on July 26, the African Union (AU) announced in a statement on Tuesday that Niger Republic has been suspended from all of its operations.

The AU reaffirmed demands that the coup leaders free elected President Mohamed Bazoum and go back to their barracks.

The West African ECOWAS bloc’s decision to activate a standby force in preparation for a potential military intervention has been noted by the AU Peace and Security Council, which has requested the AU Commission to evaluate the potential economic, social, and security repercussions of doing so.

If diplomatic efforts to restore democracy are unsuccessful, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has stated that it is prepared to send troops into Niger.

The African Union (AU) urged all of its members and the world community to abstain from any action that might be seen as supporting the junta in Niger and vehemently denounced any involvement from any party or nation outside of Africa.

The three-year transition plan put forth by General Abdourahamane Tchiani, the military ruler of Niger, was rejected by ECOWAS.

Abdourahamane Tchiani reportedly stated that his government intended to restore civilian authority within the next three years in a report published by SaharaReporters on Sunday.

In a speech broadcast on television on Saturday night, General Tchiani stated that neither the junta nor the Niger people “want for conflict and remain open to negotiation.”

The suggestion by General Tchiani, however, was deemed unacceptable by Abdel-Fatau Musah, the ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace, and Security, in a BBC interview.

Additionally, it was claimed that hundreds of Nigerians demonstrated in support of the military government over the weekend.

They protested at the same time that ECOWAS insisted on invading the nation to remove a few leaders if diplomacy failed to restore deposed President Mohamed Bazoum to power.

The meeting was held on the same day that a government official in Niger claimed that the talks between the ECOWAS delegation, led by former Head of State General Abdulsalami Abubakar, retd, and the junta produced little progress.

The officer added that the presidential guard, which ousted President Bazoum, suffers from severe divisions and that the majority of the troops in the presidential complex will leave if ECOWAS attacks the Niger Republic.

Even still, on Sunday, Pope Francis called for a diplomatic resolution to the current political crisis.

Anti-colonialist songs were sung by protesters against France and in particular ECOWAS, which is contemplating a military intervention to restore elected President Mohamed Bazoum if ongoing negotiations with the coup perpetrators are unsuccessful.

Protests have been formally outlawed by the Sahel state’s new military rulers, but those who support the coup are allowed to continue.

In opposition to the trade and financial restrictions imposed by ECOWAS, the protesters brandished signs that said “stop the military intervention” and “no to sanctions.”

According to AFP, bands hailing the new military rule performed at the pro-coup event over the weekend.

A day after the new military ruler in Niamey issued a warning that an attack on Niger would not be a “walk in the park,” the latest in a series of pro-coup rallies took place.

In a desperate attempt to end the impasse with the country’s coup leaders quietly, it was claimed that a delegation from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) had arrived in Niger.

In addition, it had stated that all but Cape Verde and nations ruled by military governments had declared themselves ready to take part in a military intervention in Niger.