An ECOWAS delegation met with ousted President Mohamed Bassum

A West African delegation that arrived in Niamey on Saturday to seek a diplomatic solution to the crisis in Niger met President Mohamed Bassoum, who was ousted after a July 26 coup, a day after ECOWAS announced a diplomatic solution. Prepare for armed intervention.

Mohamed Bazoum “sensitivity”, assured a source within the Economic Community of West African States, noting that the ousted president “still has no electricity”. His detention conditions have worried the international community and several countries such as the US and France have continued to call for his release since the coup.

The meeting was at the request of a delegation led by former President of Nigeria, Abdulsalami Abubakar, and received at the airport by the new Prime Minister, Ali Mahaman Lamin Sain, who was appointed by the military. In an interview The New York Times, The latter made the commitment on Friday evening “Nothing Happens” Mr. For Basoom.

Mr. Abubakar had already traveled to Niamey on behalf of ECOWAS in early August, but he did not meet Niger’s new strongman, General Abdurahmane Diyani, or the ousted president. According to a source close to ECOWAS, these representatives intend to send “Confirmed News” to the military in Niamey and meet the still-imprisoned President Mohamed Bassum.

Ready to intervene militarily

On Friday, Abdel-Fataw Musa, the regional body’s commissioner for political affairs, peace and security, announced the mission’s mission. “Continue to follow the peaceful path to restore constitutional order”. So the diplomatic channel is still preferred by ECOWAS, which nevertheless announced on Friday evening that it was ready to use force to restore constitutional order in Niger.

We are ready to intervene as soon as the order comes. The day of intervention is fixed., Musa said on Friday after a two-day meeting of West African chiefs of staff in Accra. Accordingly an agreement was reached in this meeting “Strategic Objectives, Necessary Equipment and Commitment of Member States” This potential intervention.

This military option has been rubber-stamped by ECOWAS for weeks. On August 10, West African leaders A “Standby Force”. However, no terms or possible timetable for the intervention have been made public.

Another diplomatic effort took place on Friday: Niger’s military-appointed Prime Minister Ali Mahaman Lamine Sain met with a United Nations (UN) delegation led by the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for West Africa, Leonardo Santos Simove. and the Sahel. “We must first listen to the authorities and study a path together so that the country returns to normality and constitutional law as soon as possible. We are sure that this is always possible through dialogue”At the end of this meeting Mr. Simov declared.

A more inflexible new regime

In Niamey, the new regime remained inflexible for now and confirmed that there would be armed intervention. “Unlawful and senseless occupation”. On Saturday morning, thousands of volunteers gathered near the General-Cheney-Gounche Stadium in the capital’s city center, responding to a call from several organizations to register as civilian helpers. Journalists from Agence France-Presse noted.

In the hours following the coup, the Nigerian military executed Mr. France was asked to support a possible intervention to free Bassum. Monde. “But the loyalists switched sides and joined the rulers. So the conditions were not met to fulfill this request for support.The source said Paris did not specify the nature of the assistance it may have provided.

About 1,500 French soldiers are stationed in Niger under security agreements between the two countries, above all to fight the jihadists who have routinely ravaged the country with their bloody attacks over the years. On Tuesday, at least 17 Nigerian soldiers were killed in an attack near Burkina Faso, the deadliest since the coup.