A delegation from the junta in Niger was received in Conakry by the Guinean military authorities, from whom it asked for “reinforced support to face the challenges to come”, Guinean public television reported on Saturday evening August 12, while the regime military in Niamey is under threat of West African intervention. The Guinean Head of State, Colonel Mamadi Doumbouya, whose regime is also the result of a coup d’etat, which occurred in September 2021, met on Saturday in Conakry with this delegation led by General Moussa Salaou Barmou.
General Barmou said he came “to thank the Guinean authorities for their support for the CNSP [National Council for the Safeguarding of the Homeland, which took power in Niger on July 26] during these difficult times that Niger is going through”. “We were very concerned [with] the people of Niger following certain drifts in the security plan, drifts [also linked] to problems that revolve around endemic corruption. It was therefore important that, for the safeguard of our nation, we could take our responsibilities,” he added, referring to the July 26 overthrow of Niger’s elected president, Mohamed Bazoum.
In a statement at the end of July, Conakry had “expressed its disagreement with the sanctions recommended [against Niamey] by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), including military intervention”. Conakry had “enjoined [to] ECOWAS [to] reconsider its position”. Mali and Burkina Faso, also led by soldiers, have also shown their solidarity with Niamey.
The visit of the Nigerien delegation to Conakry takes place two days after an ECOWAS summit in Abuja, the federal capital of Nigeria, where the leaders said they favored a resolution of the crisis through diplomatic channels, while ordering the deployment of a “standby force” as a last resort to restore Mohamed Bazoum to office. A meeting, originally scheduled for Saturday in Ghana, of ECOWAS chiefs of staff to brief their leaders on “best options” to follow up on the decision to deploy their “standby force”, been postponed indefinitely. At the same time, a mediation of Nigerian religious leaders met on Saturday in Niamey with members of the military regime.
