Instead of the three years they had indicated, Algeria has offered “a six-month transition plan” to the military rulers of Niger, according to the diplomatic chief of that country.
General Abdourahamane Tiani, the new leader of Niger, has asked for “a transition period that would last a maximum of three years,” according to Algeria’s foreign minister Ahmed Attaf, who made the remark at a news conference in Algiers.
However, in our view, the procedure may be finished in six months, preventing the current coup d’état from becoming a “fait accompli,” he continued.
Mr. Attaf had just returned from a trip to Nigeria, Benin, and Ghana, all members of the ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States).
In a separate trip to Niamey, the second-in-command of his ministry, Lounes Magramane, met with Prime Minister Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine. But according to Mr. Attaf, he did not meet ousted president Mohamed Bazoum.
If Mr. Bazoum would be a part of the transition plan put forth by Algeria, the head of diplomacy did not make that clear.
Algiers is proposing political discussions “for a maximum of six months (…) with the participation and approval of all parties in Niger without exclusion”, under the supervision of a “civil authority headed by a consensual figure accepted by all sides of the political class”, in order to lead to the “restoration of constitutional order in the country“, according to Mr. Attaf.
The Minister reiterated the opposition of Algeria, which shares almost 1,000 km of borders with Niger, to any armed intervention in its neighboring country. “We reject a military solution, how could we authorize the use of our airspace for a military operation?” the minister stressed.
President Tebboune announced on August 6 that he “categorically rejects any external military intervention” in Niger, which he described as “a direct threat to Algeria”.
Ecowas declared on August 10 its intention to send a West African force “to restore constitutional order in Niger” following the July 26 toppling of Niger’s President Bazoum, who was scheduled to be elected in 2021.
A fresh fight in the area might be “an additional incubator for terrorism and organized crime,” Mr. Attaf cautioned, and the “catastrophic effects” of a military solution could “push thousands of Nigeriens onto the path of migration.”
