Niger’s military government has rejected the latest diplomatic mission from African countries aimed at restoring constitutional order after a July 26 coup, resisting pressure from the United States and United Nations to come to the negotiating table.
The African Union (AU) planned to send a joint mission with representatives of the UN and the West African bloc ECOWAS to Niger on Tuesday, but it was denied permission by the military government, which has closed Niger’s airspace, the French magazine Jeune Afrique reported.
Leaders of ECOWAS, or the Economic Community of West African States, are preparing for a summit on Thursday to discuss their standoff with Niger’s coup generals, who defied a Sunday deadline to reinstate overthrown President Mohamed Bazoum.
The possibility of military intervention will be discussed, but ECOWAS has said it is a last resort.
An AU spokesperson confirmed to the Reuters news agency that a mission had been denied access while ECOWAS declined to comment.
The coup leaders had already snubbed meetings with a senior US envoy and another ECOWAS delegation that tried to negotiate.
Under Bazoum, Niger was relatively successful in containing an armed uprising devastating the Sahel region. It was also an important ally for the West after two of its neighbours rejected former colonial power France as an ally and turned towards Russia instead.
Niger is the world’s seventh largest producer of uranium, the most widely used fuel for nuclear energy, adding to its strategic importance.
Source: Aljazeera.com
