Even if his delegation’s meeting with the leaders of the Niger Republic coup over the weekend was productive, former head of state of Nigeria Abdulsalami Abubakar has declared that diplomacy will succeed in restoring the democratically elected government of deposed President Mohamed Bazoum.
Tuesday, Abdulsalami briefed Bola Tinubu, the president of Nigeria and the head of ECOWAS, on the results of his delegation’s meeting with the coup leaders in the neighbouring nation.
Speaking to media after the meeting at Aso Villa in Abuja, Nigeria, Abdulsalami asserted that nobody wants war and expressed confidence that diplomacy will succeed.
“I must say that our visit to Niger was very fruitful. It has open an avenue to start talking and hopefully, we will get somewhere.
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“We’ve started talking; they made their own points and I made mine and I report to the ECOWAS chairperson and he will now consult with his colleagues.
“Hopefully, diplomacy will see the better of the day. Nobody wants to go to war; it doesn’t pay anybody. Our leaders have said if all fail, and I don’t think all will fail; we will get somewhere, we will get out of this mess.”
Abdourahamane Tiani, the leader of the coup, said that the junta would restore civilian authority within three years, but ECOWAS dismissed the claim and the African Union suspended Niger Republic due to the continued crisis.
On July 26, military officials overthrew Bazoum, which prompted the West African regional group ECOWAS to threaten to use force to restore him.
International concern for the Sahel, which is experiencing escalating jihadist insurgencies linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State organisation, has increased as a result of the coup.
Niger, after Burkina Faso, Guinea, and Mali, is the fourth country in West Africa to experience a coup since 2020.
Burkina Faso and Mali’s juntas have also said that any military action against their neighbour will be viewed as a “declaration of war” against those nations.
The military rule in Niger and other Coups Nation should not be made to extend to 6months any longer.
Thank you.