Niger military junta ignores ECOWAS, names new prime minister

Former economy minister Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine has been appointed as the new prime minister of the Niger Republic by the coup’s organisers.

On Monday, August 7, a military junta spokesman released the information.

Lamine Zeine most recently served as an economist for the African Development Bank (AfDB) in Chad. Lamine Zeine previously served as the minister of economy and finance for a number of years in the administration of former president Mamadou Tandja, who was overthrown in 2010.

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) decided to schedule another meeting to discuss the Niger crisis, which prompted the junta to select Zeine.

The Niger junta was given a seven-day deadline by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), which included the possibility of military intervention, to reinstate ousted President Mohamed Bazoum.

On Monday, August 7, ECOWAS Chairman and President Bola Tinubu sent a notice of the upcoming meeting in Abuja.

A new Extraordinary Summit of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has been called to discuss the political situation in the Republic of Niger, according to the announcement. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Chairman of the Authority, was the person who issued the announcement. The Summit will take place on August 10, 2023, in Abuja.

“During the Summit, the ECOWAS Leaders will take into consideration and discuss the political environment and recent developments in Niger.”