While ad Abujain Nigeriathe new summit of the Economic Community of West African States meets (Ecowas) who will have to establish the next moves to be made after coup in Nigerthe coup leaders take another step away from the demands of Him, United States e European Union. The military junta headed by the general Abdourahmane Tchiani has in fact named the new government of the country.
He did so with a decree whose contents were broadcast on national TV on Wednesday evening. The executive will consist of 21 members and will be led by the prime minister Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine. The 20 ministers, including those of Defense and the Interior, are generals of the National Council for the Protection of the Homeland (CNSP), which has taken power.
All the while in Abuja West African leaders reiterate, through their president Tinubu ballthe willingness to arrive at a solution through the diplomatic wayat least for the moment removing the hypothesis of thearmed intervention. “I trust that our deliberations will be productive and fruitful, leading us to find one amicable solution to the political crisis in Niger. As we continue to work together in solidarity and harmony, we can secure a prosperous future for the entire West African region. It is our duty to exhaust all avenues of engagement to ensure a speedy return to constitutional governance in Niger. We need to involve all parties, including the coup plotters, in serious discussions to convince them to hand over power and reinstate the President Bazoum“, he said.
Even the Secretary General of the UN, Anthony Guterressaid he was concerned about the state of ousted President Bazoum and his family, asking for “the immediate and unconditional release and reinstatement as head of state”.
In the meantime, however, the continuation of the political crisis and the increasingly clear alignments have contributed to worsening relations between one of Niger’s neighbours, the Mali ally of the putschists, and the Francewhich it has always exercised over those countries, even after their independence from Parisa strong influence. The two States have in fact decided to suspend the issuance of visas to their respective citizens. The French embassy earlier this week suspended such activities in the Mali capital, Bamakoafter classifying the whole country into one “red zone” where it is strongly discouraged to travel. Mali’s junta has responded by freezing new visas for French nationals at its embassy in Paris in an act of “reciprocity,” the Malian foreign ministry said.