Niger military leaders’ call for transition not allowed: ECOWAS
Niger coup leaders have called for a transition period of three years as back to democracy is unacceptable according to ECOWAS.
A call by Niger’s coup leaders for a three-year transition back to democracy is “unacceptable”, a representative of the West Africa bloc ECOWAS has said.
Niger’s General Abdourahamane Tiani — who took power after army officers toppled President Mohamed Bazoum on July 26 — said over the weekend that a transition of power would not go beyond three years.
ALSO READ: Niger military warns against coup-supportive demonstrations
ECOWAS VISITED THE COUNTRY FOR DIPLOMATIC PUSH
He spoke after a delegation from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) visited Niger for a final diplomatic push before deciding whether to take military action against Niger’s new rulers.
ALSO READ: Libyan authorities relocate 161 Nigerian migrants after donation
“The three-year transition is unacceptable,” Abdel-Fatau Musah, ECOWAS commissioner for politics and security, told Al Jazeera channel in an interview broadcast on Monday.
ALSO READ: Military force in Niger cautions ECOWAS on planned attack
“We want constitutional order to be restored as soon as possible.” In his televised address on Saturday, Tiani charged ECOWAS with preparing to attack Niger by setting up an occupying force in collaboration with a foreign army, without referencing which country.
“If an attack were to be undertaken against us, it would not be the walk in the park some people seem to think,” he said.
ALSO READ: ECOWAS delegation lands in Niger for talks with military officers
ECOWAS leaders say they have to act now that Niger has become the fourth West African nation since 2020 to suffer a coup, following Burkina Faso, Guinea and Mali.
THE BLOC AGREED FOR A STANDBY FORCE
The bloc has agreed to activate a “standby force” as a last resort to restore democracy in Niger and has said it is ready to act though it is still pursuing diplomacy.
ALSO READ: West African military leaders convene to discuss Niger coup
But it has given no date or details about any intervention. The coup has heightened international worries over instability in the Sahel region, which faces growing jihadist insurgencies linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group.