NIAMEY: Niger’s Junta said Saturday that a transition of authority would not go beyond 3-year and also warned that any assault on the African nation would not be easy for those involved.
“Our desire is not to seize power,” Military General Abdourahamane Tiani said in a TV address, saying that an assault on the country would not be “a walk in the park”.
Attack on Niger To Not Be ‘A Walk in Park’: Military Leader
His warning and remarks came as a high-level delegation from ECOWAS also arrived in Niger for a final diplomatic attempt before deciding on whether or not to take military action.
A delegation representing the West Africa’s Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) bloc arrived in Niger on Saturday seeking a peaceful resolution rather than a military one following the seizure of power by senior army officers in a coup.
The delegation, led by former Nigerian president Abdulsalami Abubakar, landed in the capital in the early afternoon. This comes a day after ECOWAS military chiefs announced their readiness to intervene and restore the ousted president, Mohamed Bazoum. The ECOWAS has agreed to activate a “standby force” as a final option to restore democracy in Niger. Mohamed Bazoum was ousted by the generals on July 26 last.
Meanwhile, supporters of Niger’s military regime were forced on Saturday to stop a census of citizens willing to volunteer for non-military roles in defense against a likely interference by West African nations, adding they had been overwhelmed by the figures who turned up, Reuters reported.
Thousands of young men had massed in front of a stadium in Niamey hours before the scheduled start time of the occasion – a symbol of the solid support in some quarters for the military government, which has defied global pressure to stand down following the July 26 ouster of President Bazoum.
