Niger: Tinubu Dispatches Envoy To Niamey, Urges Robust Dialogue To End Impasse

The Chairman of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, President Bola Tinubu on Thursday, dispatched a delegation to Niger Republic mandating them to resolve the current political impasse in the West African restive nation.

Tinubu’s action was in line with the resolution reached at the end of the extraordinary summit of the ECOWAS held Sunday in Abuja.

A statement issued by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale said the delegation is headed by former Nigerian Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar (Rtd).

The statement added that the delegation left for Niamey on Thursday following a briefing by the president at the State House in Abuja.

The former Nigerian Head of State is joined in the delegation by the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, and the President of the ECOWAS Commission, H.E. Omar Alieu Touray.

Tinubu also sent another delegation led by Ambassador Babagana Kingibe to engage with the leaders of Libya and Algeria on the Niger crisis.

Briefing the two delegations, President Tinubu charged them to engage all stakeholders robustly to do whatever it takes to ensure a conclusive and amicable resolution of the situation in Niger for the purposes of African peace and development rather than a move to adopt the geopolitical positions of other nations.

“We don’t want to hold brief for anybody. Our concern is democracy and the peace of the region,” the President said.

Speaking after the meeting, General Abdulsalami Abubakar (Rtd) said the delegation would meet the coup leaders in Niger to present the demands of the ECOWAS leadership.

Both leaders of the two missions expressed optimism about the outcome of the assignments.

Meanwhile, Kanyi Daily reported that US President, Joe Biden has called for the immediate release of detained Niger’s President, Mohamed Bazoum.

Recall that Bazoum, 63, was kicked out of power on July 26th by his own elite presidential guard in a coup widely condemned by the United States, European nations, the United Nations and West African regional bloc ECOWAS.