Niger: We are not looking for power and we will determine the form of government within three years.
According to Al Jazeera, a delegation from the Economic Community of West Africa, known as ECOWAS, headed by “Abdul Salam Abubakar”, the former president of Nigeria, arrived in Niamey to meet with the ruling authorities in this country and discuss the diplomatic way out of the crisis.
This delegation met with the deposed president of Niger, “Mohammed Bazoum”, in Niamey. The said group also met with “General Abdulrahman Tian”, the leader of the coup plotters, to come to a conclusion about the ways out of the impasse.
“Our meetings in Niamey were very important and could be a starting point for resolving the crisis,” said former Nigerian president Abdulsalam Abubakar, who heads the ECOWAS delegation.
A senior official of ECOWAS also expressed optimism that the military government will accept dialogue with this group instead of war. The prime minister appointed by the military council, Ali Mohammad Al-Amin Al-Zin, also assured the New York Times that nothing will happen to Bazoom.
Bazum has been in the presidential palace since being ousted in a July 26 coup, but ECOWAS and Western powers insist he remains the legitimate president and demand his immediate release and return to power.
AFP quoted a source close to ECOWAS as saying the delegation wanted to send a “strong message” to the army in Niamey. “Abd al-Fattah Musa, the commissioner for political affairs, peace and security of ECOWAS, also announced that the purpose of this mission is to “continue the peaceful path to restore constitutional order in Niger.”
On the other hand, at the same time as the ECOWAS delegation’s visit, General Tiani announced in a televised speech on Saturday evening that he is ready for any dialogue that takes the opinion of the people and national sovereignty into consideration. He warned that the attack on his country would not be a short-term picnic.
“Neither the army nor the people of Niger want war, but we will fight against any war that is waged against us,” Tiani said. He added: “The popular reaction demands that the armed forces unite behind the National Council for the Protection of the Fatherland.”
Confirming that the transition period of power will not be more than 3 years, the leader of the coup said: “Our goal is not to seize power and we invite all sections of the people to dialogue to determine the shape of the country’s constitutional system.”
