Egypt’s foreign ministry has called for a peaceful resolution to the crisis in Niger as Western African nations threaten to take military action against the junta that seized power last month. A top Ecowas official said last week that the bloc had finalized plans for the potential attack should the coup leaders not restore deposed president Mohamed Bazoum to power.

Talks between the two sides don’t seem to be making progress: Last ditch talks that took place in the Nigerien capital on Saturday failed to find a breakthrough, with the head of the junta Abdourahmane Tchiani refusing to release the president and agreeing only to step aside after three years, the Associated Press reports.

The country just got kicked out of the AU: The African Union yesterday suspended Niger from the organization and threatened to impose sanctions on the members of the junta, according to Reuters.

Egypt-Jordan talks: President Abdel Fattah El Sisi held talks with Jordan’s foreign minister Ayman Safadi in Cairo yesterday, Ittihadiya said in a statement, without providing details of the conversation. Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry and intelligence chief Abbas Kamal were in attendance.

Remember: Jordan’s King Abdullah II was in Egypt earlier this month for three-way talks with El Sisi and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to discuss recent developments in Palestine.

ALSO FROM THE DIPLO SPHERE-

  • US Secretary of State Antony Blinken welcomed the government’s decision to release political activist Ahmed Douma. He made the remarks during a talk with Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry earlier this week. (US State Department)
  • Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry expressed interest in Egypt attending the upcoming G77 summit in Havana in a conversation with Cuba’s foreign minister Bruno Rodríguez. (Foreign Ministry)
  • Irrigation Minister Hany Sweilam talked water security with Sweden’s international development cooperation minister and the head of the International Water Institute. (Irrigation Ministry | Irrigation Ministry)
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