African Union Suspends Participation of Niger following Coup

The African Union (AU) has suspended Niger from all its activities following a military coup on July 26, it said in a statement released on Tuesday, reiterating calls for the coup leaders to release elected President Mohamed Bazoum and return to their barracks.

The AU Peace and Security Council has taken note of West African bloc ECOWAS’ decision to activate a standby force for a possible military intervention and asked the AU Commission to assess the economic, social, and security implications of deploying such a force.