Chadian President Mohamed Idriss Deby met the ousted President of Niger, Mohamed Bazoum, after his arrival earlier Sunday in the capital, Niamey, as part of mediation to resolve the crisis in Niger.
A Nigerian official had confirmed that Deby was working on mediation for Bazoum’s release and his return to office, following an emergency summit of the Economic Community “ECOWAS” in Nigeria, which he was invited to and attended by the Chadian president.
During the emergency summit, ECOWAS leaders called for the full restoration of constitutional order, threatening to take retaliatory measures if that did not happen.
“These measures may include the use of force,” said the final summit statement, adding that defense officials “will meet immediately for this purpose.”
For his part, the Chadian government spokesman, Aziz Mohamed Saleh, said that France is working with ECOWAS, but the Chadian president confirmed that he does not have any special mandate from the Economic Community of West African States.
He had warned the special adviser to the isolated president of Niger of possible military intervention in his country, if the military who led the coup rejected the African initiative to resolve the crisis.
In an exclusive interview with “Sky News Arabia”, Antinkar Al-Hassan, the Nigerien President’s Adviser, said that when ECOWAS countries threaten to use force against Niger, they are “not joking.”
Al-Hassan said, “We do not hope that the initiatives to resolve the crisis will lead to failure. If the initiatives fail, this means that ECOWAS is not joking. When it says that it may intervene militarily, does this serve the interest of Niger? It is the interest of the people that must prevail.”
He stressed, “If the negotiation initiatives are doomed to failure, the alternative will be military intervention, and the Nigerians will face problems. We will be under siege and denied travel. The situation will be bad.”
He continued, “Even if these military (coup leaders) are ready to die for Niger, Muhammad Bazoum is also ready, so they must accept negotiation. This is the only solution.”
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2023-07-31 00:27:44
