General Abdourahamane Tchiani, leader of Niger’s military coup junta, announced on Saturday that he intends to remain in power during a three-year transitional period. In this way, the military maintains its defiance in the face of the threat of military intervention, authorized by the Economic Community of West African States (Cedeao), warning: “If aggression is attempted against us, it will not be,” some believe . In fact, they will be dealing with 26 million Nigerians,” he added. At the same time, diplomatic efforts continue: an ECOWAS mission managed to meet both General Tchiani himself and the ousted President Mohamed Bazoum in Niamey, the capital of Nigeria.
Tensions and the pre-war atmosphere continue to rise in Niger. This Sunday, thousands of people demonstrated in Niamey to show their support for the military junta, the National Council for the Protection of the Fatherland (CNSP, as it is in French), shouting slogans against the military intervention, ECOWAS and France. Also on Saturday, thousands of young people went to the Seyni Kountché National Stadium To as volunteers in support of the armed forces, following a call from the military junta, which promised them a payment of 50,000 CFA francs (about 75 euros). .
Last Friday, the chiefs of the ECOWAS armies approved the operational plan for a possible military intervention in Niger and set the exact date, but did not announce it, reported the regional organization’s commissioner for political affairs, peace and security. Abdel-Fatau Musah, who assured that despite everything, they kept the door open to dialogue. With this in mind, an ECOWAS delegation led by Abdulsalami Abubakar, former President of Nigeria, was received by Interim Prime Minister Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine at Niamey International Airport on Saturday. The said mission then managed to meet with both General Tchiani and ousted President Mohamed Bazoum, who is still being held in precarious conditions by the military.
At night, the putschist leader appeared on national television to read a ten-minute statement in a solemn tone. In that speech, Tchiani assured that it was not the military’s intention to “seize power” and that it also remained open to dialogue. At the same time, he reiterated that the duration of the transition to return power to the civilian population “will not exceed three years”. “. To this end, he called for an inclusive national dialogue with the various political and social actors so that they could formulate concrete proposals within a month and “lay the foundation for a new constitutional life,” he said. In this sense, he emphasized the “popular support” for the July 26 coup and accused Bazoum and his government of “preventing democratic change” by “locking up and banning opponents”.
He also attacked Cedeao because he was preparing “an aggression”. [contra Níger] in complicity with a foreign power alien to our common space and our continent”, alluding to France. “They believe they can force something upon us that is deeply unacceptable and contrary to our vital interests and core values. They want to isolate our country at a time when our people most need community solidarity to fight terrorism and insecurity. “It appears that they have not considered the magnitude of the backlash that military aggression against Niger would have across the region,” the coup plotter added.
For the first time and as a warning to ECOWAS, Tchiani referred to the military aid pledged by the military regimes of Guinea-Conakry, Mali and Burkina Faso, assuring: “It would be tragic to be faced with a war against our brothers-in-arms against whom we fought yesterday fought for the security of our region (…) Neither the CNSP nor the Nigerian people want war and we remain open to dialogue. But let’s get this straight: if aggression is attempted against us, it will not be the way some believe. In fact, they will compete against 26 million Nigerians.”
Join EL PAÍS to follow all the news and read without restrictions.
subscribe to
“Illegal” and “Inhumane” Sanctions
General Tchiani devoted a large part of his speech to denouncing the “illegal” and “inhumane” sanctions imposed by ECOWAS on Niger on July 30, which led to the suspension of all trade with the countries of this regional organization and the closing of the borders and that Freezing of the country’s financial resources. The consequences already include rising prices, supply problems for basic foods and medicines, a lack of funds in the state coffers, which are largely dependent on foreign aid, and frequent power cuts. “These sanctions were not conceived from the perspective of finding solutions, but to bring us to our knees and humiliate us,” he added.
For its part, the Algerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement in which it “strongly rejects the fact that resorting to force takes precedence over moving towards a negotiated political settlement in Niger”. The Algerian government remains convinced that such a solution is still possible and that “not all paths that can lead there have been explored and not all possibilities have been exhausted,” the statement said. In this sense, he calls for “calm, wisdom and reason everywhere”, bearing in mind that “the history of our region teaches us abundantly that military interventions have brought more problems than solutions and additional factors of confrontation and rupture rather than their causes were “of stability and security”.
Follow all international information on Facebook and Twitteror in our weekly newsletter.
Subscribe to continue reading
Read without limits