West African bloc meets Niger’s ousted president, junta chief in Niamey

AFP

A delegation from West Africa’s major regional bloc ECOWAS on Saturday met Niger’s ousted President Mohamed Bazoum and held talks with junta chief General Abdourahmane Tiani within the capital Niamey, a Nigerian presidential spokesperson mentioned.

The West African group is pursuing diplomatic methods to reverse the July 26 coup. The coup leaders’ acceptance of the mission may sign a brand new willingness to barter after the bloc on Friday doubled-down on its menace to make use of power as a final resort to revive democracy. It mentioned an undisclosed “D-Day” had been agreed for attainable navy intervention.

While earlier ECOWAS missions have been rebuffed, Saturday’s delegation was met at Niamey airport by the junta-appointed prime minister, an ECOWAS supply mentioned, talking on situation of anonymity.

The group that flew in was led by Nigeria’s former navy chief Abdulsalami Abubakar and included ECOWAS fee President Omar Touray, the supply mentioned.

Nigerian presidential spokesperson Abdulaziz Abdulaziz posted a photograph of the delegation assembly Bazoum.

“After meeting …. (junta leader) General Abdoulrahmane Tchiani, the ECOWAS delegation in Niger have also visited President Mohamed Bazoum this evening,” he wrote on messaging platform X, previously generally known as Twitter.

He didn’t share particulars on the result of talks.

There was no speedy touch upon the negotiations from the junta, which has held Bazoum since seizing energy regardless of worldwide requires his launch.

But in a televised handle to the nation on Saturday night, Tiani mentioned neither coup leaders nor “the Nigerien people want war and remain open to dialogue.”

He cautioned that Niger was able to defend itself if wanted. “If an aggression were to be undertaken against us, it would not be the walk in the park that some believe,” he mentioned.

In the meantime, Tiani mentioned the junta was pursuing its personal agenda and would launch a nationwide dialogue to seek the advice of on a transition again to democracy, which “should last no longer than three years”.

THOUSANDS VOLUNTEER TO SUPPORT JUNTA

ECOWAS has taken a tougher stance on the Niger coup, the broader area’s seventh in three years, than it did on earlier ones. The credibility of the bloc is at stake as a result of it had mentioned it will tolerate no additional such overthrows.

Niger additionally has strategic significance for regional and world powers due to its uranium and oil reserves and function as a hub for overseas troops concerned within the struggle towards the insurgents linked to al Qaeda and IS.

Underscoring the pursuits at stake, the US State Department mentioned on Saturday it had despatched a brand new ambassador to Niger whose “diplomatic focus will be to advocate for a diplomatic solution that preserves the constitutional order.”

The junta’s vow to withstand exterior strain to face down has been applauded by many in Niger.

Thousands of its supporters gathered at a stadium in Niamey on Saturday the place the crowding prompted the postponement of an unofficial census of civilian volunteers for non-military roles if ECOWAS does resort to power.