Tinubu sends Islamic leaders to Niger Republic for dialogue once more.
President Bola Tinubu has authorised the return of an Islamic mission (Ulama) to Niger Republic for another round of talks with the coup leaders.
Tinubu announced the decision on Thursday, following a meeting with prominent clerics led by Sheikh Dahiru Bauchi, who were in Niamey, the capital of Niger Republic, two weeks ago for talks with the junta commanded by General Abdourahamane Tiani.
Tinubu made the decision as President of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
Since the coup deposed President Mohamed Bazoum on July 26, 2023, ECOWAS has placed sanctions on Niger and has not ruled out employing force against army officers.
The West African group has approved the deployment of a “standby force to restore constitutional order” in Niger as soon as possible, but it remains committed to resolving the problem diplomatically.
After returning from the coup-torn country, ECOWAS ambassador to Niger Republic and former Nigerian Head of State Abdulsalami Abubakar claimed his delegation’s meeting with Niger Republic coup leaders last weekend was successful.
He stated that diplomacy will succeed in restoring ousted President Mohamed Bazoum’s democratically elected administration.
Tiani had stated that the junta would return to civilian power within three years, but ECOWAS had rejected the proposal.
The African Union has suspended Niger Republic due to the current scenario.
The coup has heightened international concern about the Sahel, which is experiencing an increase in jihadist insurgencies connected to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State organisation.Following Burkina Faso, Guinea, and Mali, Niger is the fourth West African country to have a coup since 2020.
Burkina Faso and Mali’s juntas have stated that any military action in their neighbouring nations would be regarded a “declaration of war” against their own countries.
The coup is the seventh in Niger’s history since the country obtained independence from France in 1960.
Bazoum’s election in 2021 was historic, ushering in the country’s first peaceful power change.
Since the coup, he has been kept with his family inside the president’s official mansion, raising worldwide alarm about his incarceration circumstances.