Niger's Junta open to diplomacy, says delegation

General Abdourahmane Tiani, who was declared the new head of state of Niger by leaders of a coup, arrives to meet with ministers in Niamey, Niger, July 28, 2023. [Reuters]

Niger's junta leaders are open to negotiation to avert conflict with West Africa's regional bloc ECOWAS, a group of senior Nigerian Islamic scholars said Sunday after meeting with the military insurgents in Niamey.

ECOWAS, the Economic Community of West African States, is mulling how to restore civilian rule in Niger, and how to reinstate the constitutionally elected president, Mohamed Bazoum.