Algeria’s mediation with the military in Niger is “welcome,” Nigerian Foreign Minister Yusuf Maitama Tuggar said in an interview with France 24 broadcast Thursday, October 5. “We salute all parties who seek to find a peaceful solution to this imbroglio, including Algeria,” he declared, recalling that diplomacy was always the path favored by the Economic Community of African States. of the West (ECOWAS).
Nigeria holds the rotating presidency of ECOWAS, which threatens Niger with military intervention to restore constitutional order. “The ECOWAS position however remains the same, we are against this military takeover in Niger and we insist that President Bazoum, who is the elected president of Niger, be released,” added Yusuf Maitama Tuggar. The military option, “which does not necessarily result in a war, as has been misinterpreted”, is “not excluded”, clarified the minister: “It remains relevant but it is not either no longer the preferred option, which is why many diplomatic efforts are still underway. »
ECOWAS has been threatening the perpetrators of the putsch with military intervention since July 30 to reinstate the elected president, Mohamed Bazoum, prioritizing the diplomatic route. Algeria, which shares nearly 1,000 km of borders with Niger, has said it is opposed to any armed intervention in its neighbor. She thus proposed mediation with the military in Niamey, “aiming to promote a political solution to the crisis.” Niger said on Monday that it accepted the mediation offer from its Algerian neighbor, recalling however that the duration of the transition to civilian rule would only be set by an inclusive national forum.
ECOWAS, for its part, was careful not to comment on the possibility of accepting a transitional period during which the military would remain in power before returning it to civilians. Niger is also subject to very heavy sanctions, particularly economic ones, from ECOWAS, which suspended Niamey from its governing bodies, just like Mali, Guinea and Burkina Faso since they were also ruled. by putschist soldiers.
