2023-08-19 23:04:43
The new military ruler in Niger, Abdourahamane Tiani, has announced a transition phase in the West African country that will not last longer than three years. “Our goal is not to seize power,” the general said in a televised speech on Saturday. He announced a 30-day “national dialogue” to work out “concrete proposals” that should lay the foundation for “a new constitutional life”.
However, Tiani added: “If we are attacked, it will not be as easy as some people seem to think.” The general was alluding to a threat from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), which had previously declared that a task force was ready to be deployed in Niger, but that a “peaceful solution” was still being sought.
An ECOWAS delegation arrived in Niamey on Saturday and visited, among others, the imprisoned President Mohamed Bazoum. He is doing well, according to Ecowas circles. However, the presidential palace, where Bazoum and his family have been held since the July 26 coup, is still without power.
The delegation, led by former Nigerian President Abdulsalami Abubakar, is said to seek diplomatic mediation with the military who have taken power. In his 12-minute speech on Saturday, Tiani denounced the “illegal” and “inhumane” sanctions imposed by ECOWAS following the coup.
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