Today's Headlines: West African Delegation Arrives In Niger Republic, Thousands rally in support of Niger Coup
West African Delegation Arrives In Niger Republic
A delegation from the West African bloc ECOWAS arrived in Niger on Thursday for talks in a bid to resolve a crisis following last week’s military coup, an airport source told AFP.
The source said the delegation landed in the capital Niamey at 6:11 pm (1711 GMT). ECOWAS on Sunday had given the junta a week to reinstate elected leader Mohamed Bazoum or risk a possible military intervention.
Nigerian President Bola Tinubu urged the representatives to do “whatever it takes to ensure a conclusive and amicable resolution of the situation in Niger”, his office said in a statement.
The delegation headed by former Nigerian leader Abdulsalami Abubakar is due to “meet the coup leaders in Niger to present the demands of the ECOWAS leadership”, Tinubu’s office added.
Tinubu also sent another delegation led by Nigerian ambassador Babagana Kingibe “to engage with the leaders of Libya and Algeria” on the crisis.
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has already imposed trade and financial sanctions on Niger, with Nigeria cutting its electricity supply.
Thousands rally in support of Niger military coup
Demonstrators took to the streets of Niger’s capital Niamey on Thursday in a show of support for the country’s new leadership, a week after a military coup in the West African country.
People rallied on the streets of Niamey to signal their support for de facto president Abdourahmane Tchiani and his junta, a dpa correspondent in the capital reported.
The demonstrations followed a call by civil society associations, according to reports.
They came on the 63rd anniversary of Niger gaining independence from former colonial power France.
According to local media, people also demonstrated in the city of Agadez, with posters seen expressing support for the putschists. Russian flags are also said to have been waived.
Agadez is on the edge of the Sahara Desert, which many migrants pass through on their way to Libya and towards the Mediterranean.
The coup plotters managed to ignite a “nationalistic fire” in the population within a week, said Olaf Bernau from the migration network Afrique-Europe-Interact.
Part of the reason for this is the EU’s migration strategy in Niger.
For several years, Niger, as an important transit country for migrants heading for Europe, has received financial support to limit migration. Since 2015, a law in Niger has criminalized illegal migration and its support.
APC Facing Challenges In Court But 2023 Elections Among Most Credible – Tinubu
President Bola Tinubu believes the 2023 presidential election was one of the most credible in Nigeria’s history, despite the legal battles between the All Progressives Congress (APC) and opposition parties challenging his victory.
The petitions of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Labour Party (LP) and Allied People’s Movement (APM) are before the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal in Abuja with judgement expected within days.
Tinubu made the remarks on Thursday during the first National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party in Abuja.
“The party is in your hands but let’s redirect this party; let’s show the rest of the country that we are a country united for a purpose and that purpose – development, progress, and posterity will not forgive us if we veer off that path,” he said.
“We honour their wishes but we coast into the future. It is an honourable thing. Yes, we are facing challenges in court, and I say this is one of the most free and fair elections in the history of Nigeria.”
Don’t take military option in Niger – Atiku to ECOWAS
Atiku Abubakar, former vice-president, has advised the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) against “military hostilities” in Niger Republic.
In July, a military junta in the West African country ousted President Mohamed Bazoum.
In response to the coup, ECOWAS resolved to use all measures necessary to restore constitutional order in the country, including the use of force, if its demands are not met in a week.
But in a joint statement on Monday, Mali and Burkina Faso, West African countries suspended from ECOWAS on account of military coups, backed the actions of the Nigerien military.
The countries warned against any further interventions that would “jeopardise the spirit of Pan-Africanism” and threatened a withdrawal from the regional bloc.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the former vice-president said leaders in the bloc should avoid resorting to military intervention.
“As the ECOWAS continues to work towards reinstating democracy in the Republic of Niger, it must be reinforced that the regional body should not travel the road of military hostilities that may exacerbate the status quo,” the statement reads.
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