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In an exclusive interview with FRANCE 24, Nigeria’s Foreign Minister Yusuf Maitama Tuggar said that two months after the coup in Niger, a military intervention by the West African regional bloc ECOWAS was “still on the table”. He stressed that a negotiated solution remained the preferred option, but that ECOWAS had not changed its position on the possible use of force to restore constitutional order in Niger. Tuggar added that diplomatic efforts were still under way and held out hope for progress soon.
Nigeria currently holds the rotating presidency of ECOWAS. Asked whether Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu was open to negotiating a transition period with the junta in Niger, Tuggar replied that there had been no change in the position of Nigeria and ECOWAS, namely the release of ousted president Mohamed Bazoum and the return of constitutional order. However, he welcomed the mediation efforts undertaken by Algeria, which is proposing a six-month transition period.
Read moreAlgeria says Niger coup leaders accept mediation, six-month transition plan
When asked whether the Biden administration had pressured ECOWAS to abandon the military option, Nigeria’s top diplomat replied that ECOWAS made its decisions on its own, and that no foreign power could dictate its actions.
Tuggar warned that the coup in Niger was weakening the fight against terrorism, including in the border region with Nigeria. He noted that military coups were not only weakening democracy but also security in the region, pointing to the worsening situation in northern Mali.
