Regional delegation meets Niger junta leader, deposed president in effort to resolve crisis

By SAM MEDNICK
Associated Press

NIAMEY, Niger (AP) — A delegation from nations in the region has met for the first time with Niger’s junta leader and the country’s deposed president in a last-ditch diplomatic effort to peacefully resolve the country’s crisis. The representatives from the West African regional bloc, ECOWAS, led by former Nigerian head of state Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar, met separately Saturday with Gen. Abdourahmane Tchiani, the junta leader, and toppled President Mohamed Bazoum. They joined efforts by the United Nations Special Representative for West Africa and the Sahel, Leonardo Santos Simao, who arrived on Friday, in trying to facilitate a resolution to the predicament.