Algerian official to visit Niger for talks after coup
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The Algerian official is scheduled to make his first stop in Niger on Thursday for talks after the coup last month.
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The Mosque of Algiers is pictured Thursday, Oct. 29, 2020 (AP)
In response to the military coup in the neighboring country of Niger, Algeria has taken diplomatic action by dispatching a senior official.
The Algerian foreign ministry's secretary general, Lounes Magramane, is scheduled to visit Niger on Thursday, as announced by the ministry on the social media platform X, previously known as Twitter.
It comes a day after Algeria's Foreign Minister, Ahmed Attaf, began a tour of West African countries on Wednesday, in a bid to find a solution following the coup in neighboring Niger.
Attaf was "mandated by President Abdelmadjid Tebboune" to go on a diplomatic tour to Nigeria, Benin, and Ghana, the Algerian foreign ministry said on X, formerly known as Twitter. He is set to hold "consultations on the crisis in Niger and ways of dealing with it" with his counterparts in West African countries, which form part of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
The regional West African bloc has issued a threat to employ military force in order to reinstate Niger's elected president, Mohamed Bazoum, who was apprehended by guards on July 26.
Algeria, which shares a significant 1,000-kilometer (600-mile) land border with Niger, has previously cautioned against resorting to a military solution. Algerian President Tebboune emphasized that such an approach would directly jeopardize his North African nation. Tebboune stated, "A solution cannot be achieved without our involvement. We are the ones most directly impacted."
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On July 26, the Nigerien presidential guard overthrew Bazoum. The guard's commander, Abdourahmane Tchiani, proclaimed himself the country's new leader.
The military chiefs of the Economic Community of West African States met to discuss options for military intervention in Niger. The goal of the meeting reportedly is to outline a plan for the intervention, its strategy, logistical aspects, and timetable.
Correspondingly, military leaders in Niger have warned against any armed intervention in their country, stressing that they will "resolutely defend their homeland."
The interim governments of Mali and Burkina Faso warned that any military intervention against Niger would be considered a declaration of war against them.
ECOWAS has resorted to implementing a full pressure campaign on the country, which included the closure of land and air borders between the bloc's countries and Niger, the suspension of all commercial and financial transactions with it, and the freezing of the country's assets in ECOWAS Central Banks.
The bloc also suspended all financial aid to Niger, froze the assets of the coup leaders, their families, and supporters, and imposed a ban on commercial flights to and from the country.
