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While the military regime that emerged from the coup in Niger on Tuesday appears uninterested in proposals for dialogue from West African countries and the United States to avoid the possibility of military intervention aimed at restoring constitutional order, Al-Arabiya/Al correspondent -Hadath confirmed that the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) confirms that it is preparing the necessary measures to restore constitutional order in Niger.

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Two days before the Leaders’ Summit (ECOWAS) to discuss the situation in Niger, a joint delegation of ECOWAS, the United Nations and the African Union was unable to travel to Niger on Tuesday, as the Economic Community announced in the evening.

ECOWAS also added that this joint mission was canceled following a letter sent by the military authorities of Niger stating that they would not accept this tripartite delegation.

Earlier, the Nigerian Foreign Ministry said in a letter to the ECOWAS representative in Niamey that “the current context of anger and indignation of the population after the sanctions imposed by ECOWAS does not allow the above-mentioned delegation to be received in a calm and safe environment.” Wednesday.”

A letter dated Monday, a copy of which was obtained by Agence France-Presse, added: “It has been determined that the postponement of the visit of the mission to Niamey scheduled for Tuesday is necessary (…) in this atmosphere of threat of aggression against Niger.”

Temporary suspension

In another communication, the Nigerian Foreign Ministry said that “permanent diplomatic clearances” issued in 2023 to “aircraft of Niger’s friendly countries and partners are temporarily suspended”, without specifying the type of aircraft or countries involved.

ECOWAS threatened to intervene militarily in Niger to restore President Mohamed Bazum to power after he was ousted in a July 26 coup.

This threat came in the form of a seven-day ultimatum issued by ECOWAS leaders to the Nigerian army on 30 July. However, this deadline was not met and expired on Sunday evening, and it seemed clear that ECOWAS preferred to follow the path of dialogue.

“complex” dialogue

The postponement of the delegation’s visit is added to another figure represented by the appointment of civilian Prime Minister Ali al-Amin, which is considered the first step towards the appointment of a transitional government.

Despite the position of the putschists, Nigerian President Paula Tinubu, who also leads ECOWAS, confirmed on Tuesday that he and the leaders of the African bloc “prefer a solution obtained through diplomacy over peaceful means,” but at the same time stressed that “No option is excluded.”

In turn, the United States sought dialogue in the fight against extremist groups that undermine this country and most of the Sahel region.

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US Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland visited Niamey on Monday, where she met with the putschists. But the meeting was not attended by General Abderrahman Tian, ​​the new leader of Niger. She also did not meet President Mohamed Bazum, who is under house arrest.

She said the talks, which included the new chief of staff Musa Salo Parmo, “were extremely frank and sometimes difficult.”
She stated that she offered “a range of options” for ending the coup, adding, “I wouldn’t say that the proposal was taken into account in any way.”

tensions with Western countries

On Tuesday, France, which has been frequently attacked during protests in West Africa, said it supported “the efforts of the countries of the region to restore democracy” in Niger.

Relations between the new leaders of Niamey are strained with Western countries and most of the African countries that condemned the coup, but excellent with Mali and Burkina Faso, which are also led by the military who seized power by force in 2020 and 2022 respectively. .

Both countries expressed their solidarity with Niger, emphasizing that an ECOWAS attack on it would be tantamount to a “declaration of war” against them.

On Tuesday, the two countries sent two joint messages to the UN and the African Union, stressing the need for the two bodies to take “responsibility” for preventing “any military intervention against Niger” and warning of “an unpredictable security and humanitarian situation.” consequences.