Niger junta shuts door on tripartite ECOWAS-AU-UN Mission

Niger Republic’s junta refused to meet with the African Union (AU) delegation which had arrived the country in the hope for peaceful resolution of the political impasse following a military coup which ousted civilian president Mohammed Bazoum, on July 26

Earlier, the junta resisted pressure from the United States and the United Nations to come to the negotiating table.

The African Union (AU) planned to send a joint mission with representatives of the UN and ECOWAS to Niger on Tuesday, but it was denied permission by the junta, which has closed Niger’s airspace.

An AU spokesperson confirmed that the mission had been denied access, while ECOWAS declined to comment.

According to ECOWAS Commission, Wednesday, the AU mission was aborted following a late-night communication from the military authorities in Niger indicating their unavailability to receive the tripartite delegation.

ECOWAS Commission further confirmed that the tripartite ECOWAS-AU-UN Mission to the Republic of Niger did not take place on Tuesday, August 8, as planned.

“The mission was aborted following a late-night communication from the military authorities in Niger indicating their unavailability to receive the tripartite delegation.

“The planned mission was part of the continued efforts to find a peaceful resolution to the current crisis in Niger.

“As per the decision of the ECOWAS Extraordinary Summit held on 30 July 2023, the Community will continue to deploy all measures in order to restore constitutional order in Niger,” the commission disclosed.

The junta had already snubbed meetings with a senior U.S. envoy and another ECOWAS delegation that tried to negotiate.

Heads of state from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) are preparing for a summit on Thursday to discuss their standoff with the Niger junta, which defied an Aug. 6 deadline to reinstate ousted President Mohamed Bazoum.

The possibility of military intervention will be discussed, but ECOWAS has said it is a last resort.

“There’s no doubt that diplomacy is the best way to resolve this situation,” U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told French radio station RFI on Tuesday.

He said the United States was backing ECOWAS efforts to restore order. He declined to comment on the future of some 1,100 U.S. troops in Niger, where French, German and Italian troops are also stationed.

The United Nations said Secretary-General Antonio Guterres strongly supported mediation efforts by ECOWAS.

ECOWAS defence chiefs agreed on Friday on a possible military action plan, which heads of state are expected to weigh up at their summit in the Nigerian capital Abuja.

In light of the coup, the West African bloc has imposed sanctions on Niger and Western allies have suspended aid.

Earlier, ECOWAS sent a mission to Niamey led by Abdulsalami Abubakar, a former military ruler of Nigeria, but Tiani also refused to see him.

In contrast, Tiani met on Monday with a joint delegation from Mali and Burkina Faso, both neighbouring countries where the military has seized power from civilians. The juntas there have pledged support for the coup in Niger.

“We will not accept military intervention in Niger. Our survival depends on it,” said Abdoulaye Maiga, a spokesman for Mali’s junta, appearing on Niger state television.