EPAA special meeting of ECOWAS on the situation in Niger
NOS Nieuws•vandaag, 03:16
Despite international pressure, Nigerian coup leader General Tiani does not intend to allow deposed President Bazoum to return to his post. Tiani said this after a visit from a delegation from the West African partnership Ecowas.
Ecowas threatens to intervene in Niger if the military coup in that country does not come to an end before the end of the week. Niger itself is also a member of Ecowas. The other fourteen member states have announced sanctions against the poverty-stricken country. For example, neighboring Nigeria has already halted the supply of electricity. Niger depends on Nigeria for 70 percent of its electricity.
Tiani called the sanctions “illegal, unjust and inhumane” in a televised speech. He said he and his co-coup plotters reject any involvement in “internal affairs” in Niger.
Part of US embassy staff evacuated
In his speech, Tiani also said that the French people in Niger have nothing to fear. France, the country’s former colonizer, has been evacuating its citizens from Niger in recent days. Nineteen Dutch people also left the country, thirteen of them with a French evacuation flight.
The Dutch embassy is closed to the public for security reasons. However, the ambassador will remain in the capital Niamey with a small team to keep in touch with Dutch people who are still staying there. It is not clear how many Dutch people are still in Niger.
Meanwhile, the US has also announced that it will evacuate part of the embassy staff and their relatives from Niger. These are non-essential government employees. The US Embassy in Niamey will remain open.
2023-08-03 01:16:47
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