Discussions between the military who took power by force in Niger and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) produced nothing. But Algeria could manage to open a dialogue with Niamey. The putschists accepted the mediation of Algiers which had proposed a “six-month transition plan”, the Algerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced this Monday in a press release.
“The Algerian government received through the Niger Ministry of Foreign Affairs an acceptance of Algerian mediation aimed at promoting a political solution to the crisis in Niger,” according to the press release. The Algerian President, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, instructed the head of diplomacy, Ahmed Attaf, “to go to Niamey as soon as possible to begin discussions (…) with all the stakeholders”, according to the same source.
Restore “the country’s constitutional order”
Algiers had proposed at the end of August political discussions “for a maximum of six months (…) with the participation and approval of all parties in Niger without exclusion”, under the supervision of a “civil authority led by a consensual and accepted personality by all sides of the political class”, in order to lead to the “reestablishment of constitutional order in the country”.
Algiers considered that “the acceptance of the Algerian initiative reinforces the option of a political solution to this crisis and opens the way to the meeting of the conditions which should allow it to be overcome peacefully in the interest of Niger and the whole of the region,” added the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Niger has been governed for more than two months by a military regime that came to power after a coup that overthrew elected President Mohamed Bazoum.