The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), a 15-nation organisation is meeting today, Thursday, August 10 in Nigeria's capital Abuja, to discuss the coup in Niger and make important decisions expected to resolve the crisis.
It is now two weeks since a military coup toppled the government of elected president of Niger Republic, Mohamed Bazoum and ECOWAS is still seeking a diplomatic solution even though it has insisted that all options are on the table including using force to resolve the crisis.
ECOWAS gave Niger's military rulers until last Sunday to reinstate Bazoum or face potential use of force.
But the coup leaders remained defiant, and the ultimatum passed without action.
Speaking ahead of Wednesday's summit, Guinea-Bissau's President Umaro Sissoco Embalo said the future of ECOWAS was at stake following coups in four member states – Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso and now Niger, RFI reports.
Bazoum remained Niger's sole recognised president and coups must be ended, he said.
While earlier efforts to open talks with international mediators have failed, Niger's military junta met with two envoys from Nigeria on Wednesday, offering hope for dialogue.
The envoys – the former Emir of Kano, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi and a former military leader, Abdulsalami Abubakar– were allowed into Niger despite closed borders.
Only Sanusi met junta leader General Abdourahamane Tiani, while his fellow envoy met with other representatives at the airport.
Sanusi told Nigerian state television he would deliver a "message" to Nigeria's President Bola Tinubu, though he was not an official government emissary.
"We’ll continue to do our best to bring the two parties together to improve understanding. This is the time for public diplomacy," said Sanusi, who is known to be a close friend of President Tinubu.
Bazoum has been detained by members of his presidential guard since 26 July.
His party has accused the junta of keeping him and his family in "cruel" and "inhumane" detention at the presidential residence.
In a statement calling for a nationwide mobilisation to save them, the PNDS-Tarayya party on Wednesday said the Bazoums had no running water, no electricity and no access to fresh goods or doctors.
The secretary-general of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, denounced "the deplorable living conditions that President Bazoum and his family are reported to be living under", according to a UN statement.