The military regime in Niger has said it is open to resolving the crisis through diplomatic channels, the head of a delegation of Nigerian clerics reported Sunday, August 13, the day after his visit to Niamey.
General Abdourahamane Tiani, in power after the July 26 coup, “said his door was open to explore the path of diplomacy and peace in order to resolve” the crisis, said in a press release Sheikh Bala Lau at the head of this mediation mission, carried out with the agreement of the President of Nigeria Bola Tinubu, also current President of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
Also according to this press release, General Tiani, during their meeting, “also apologized for not giving due attention to the team sent by President Tinubu and led by the former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar”. On August 3, an ECOWAS delegation led by General Abubakar landed in Niamey, but left after only a few hours without being able to meet the country’s new strongman, General Tiani.
Last Tuesday, another delegation, this time made up of envoys from ECOWAS, the African Union (AU) and the UN, was unable to travel to Niamey, the regime citing security reasons. According to the press release from the religious mediation, General Tiani affirmed that he was ” painful “ for the perpetrators of the coup that the leaders of ECOWAS “did not hear their version of the facts before sending them an ultimatum”.
Coup justified by an “imminent threat”
On July 30, four days after the overthrow of the regime, ECOWAS leaders decided to financially sanction Niger and gave the military a seven-day ultimatum to restore constitutional order, threatening a possible recourse to the strength as a last resort.
On Thursday, during a new summit, the leaders reaffirmed that they favored the diplomatic route to restore President Mohamed Bazoum to his duties, while ordering the mobilization and deployment of the “standby force” of ECOWAS. According to General Tiani, quoted in the press release of the religious mediation, the soldiers overthrew President Bazoum “due to an imminent threat which would have affected not only the Republic of Niger, but also Nigeria”.
Two days after the coup, General Tiani had justified the action of the army by “security degradation” in the country undermined by the violence of jihadist groups. According to the press release from the religious mediation, the latter must meet President Bola Tinubu to report to him the content of their discussion.