The soldiers who carried out the coup d’etat in Niger have asked the delegation of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to “return” to Niamey, Niger’s Prime Minister Ouhoumoudou Mahamadou said on Monday during a an interview given to the TV5 Monde channel. “The junta has asked the ECOWAS delegation to come back”, its members “will be in Niamey probably today (Monday) or tomorrow”, he said.
The ECOWAS delegation that arrived Thursday evening in Niamey to find a way out of the crisis left a few hours later, without having met either the head of the ruling military, General Abdourahamane Tiani, or the overthrown President Mohamed Bazoum. The day after the expiry of the ultimatum posed by ECOWAS to the military in power to restore constitutional order (before Sunday 23:00 GMT), the West African organization, which had threatened to use “force”, announced that its leaders will meet in Abuja, Nigeria on Thursday for an “extraordinary summit”.
For its part, Washington assures that it is still possible to end the coup in Niger through diplomacy, a spokesman for American diplomacy said on Monday. ” It’s still possible. We believe the junta should step down and allow President (Mohamed) Bazoum to return to office,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters.
Last Friday, the chiefs of staff of ECOWAS had defined the contours of a possible military intervention against the perpetrators of the coup, according to an official of the organization. While no military intervention has taken place yet, “we are not disappointed, because our objective is not military intervention. Our objective is the restoration of democracy and the end of the sequestration of President Bazoum, “assured Mr. Mahamadou.
The Prime Minister indicated that the living conditions of President Mohamed Bazoum, kidnapped since the day of the coup, July 26, with his son and his wife, are hardening. “We cut off their electricity, we cut off their water,” he said. “Negotiation is still possible,” he said. He said he was not “surprised” by the demonstrations of support for the military, saying that “to fill the stadium as it has been done, it is enough to put the means, to promise per diem to those who (in) participate” , in reference to the 30,000 coup supporters gathered on Sunday at the Seini Kountché stadium in Niamey.
Finally, according to Mr. Mahamadou, the “anti-French sentiment”, expressed by flags and slogans hostile to France during the pro-military demonstrations in Niamey, is “a manipulation” by “a small group of self-proclaimed actors”. saying of civil society”. “What we expect from France is that it continues to support Niger,” he added.