The United Kingdom Foreign Secretary, James Cleverly, says UK is also backing the ECOWAS position to return President Mohamed Bazoum as Niger republic’s legitimate leader.
James Cleverly disclosed this to journalists at the State House after meeting with President Bola Tinubu at Aso Rock Villa on Wednesday.
He added that violence was not a way of changing politics in any case.
Last week, Niger military junta ousted president Bazoum and subsequently the military leader declared himself as the Head of State. Following this development, ECOWAS leaders have imposed several sanctions on it including shutting down airspace and closing land borders.
ECOWAS has also given them an ultimatum of seven days to give back Niger’s leadership to Bazoum or else face armed intervention.
The West African country’s holdings in commercial banks, the ECOWAS Central Bank, and parastatals would also be frozen. The bloc has also prohibited the country from receiving any financial aid from or conducting any financial transactions with financial institutions inside ECOWAS, and the West African Monetary Union and other analogous regional bodies were asked to swiftly put the resolutions into effect.
The United States has also backed ECOWAS on its move. However, other West African countries, Mali and Burkina Faso, have urged the bloc not to use force to restore the democratically elected governments in Niger.
Burkina Faso and Mali are also currently being ruled by the military, and they described any military intervention in Niger as a war against them.