Niger Junta Supporters Overwhelm Call For Volunteers

Supporters of Niger's junta were forced on Saturday to halt a census of people willing to volunteer for non-military roles, saying they had been overwhelmed by the numbers who turned up. They met on the same day a delegation from ECOWAS arrived in the country and met with junta leader General Abdourahmane Tiani and deposed.

Young people gather to register to volunteer to fight for the country as part of a volunteer initiative, in Niamey, Niger, Saturday, Aug. 19, 2023. Thousands turned up as a delegation from regional nations were expected to arrive in Niger in a last-ditch diplomacy effort to reach a peaceful solution with mutinous soldiers who ousted the country's president last month.