Emmanuel Macron, the president of France, demanded on Thursday the release of Mohamed Bazoum, the president of Niger, who had been imprisoned on July 26, 2023, as a result of a military takeover directed by the former Abdourahamane Tchiani, the head of the presidential guard.
The former French colony of Niger, whose elected government was overthrown in a military coup in July, also received a call from Macron for the restoration of democratic order.
The ECOWAS leaders ordered the activation of a standby force to restore constitutional order in Niger and stated that they would consider all options for a peaceful resolution to the crisis.
Following the coup, former colonial powers France and the European Union suspended their financial and security assistance to Niger, and the United States issued a warning that its own assistance might be at risk.
The coup dealt a severe blow to France’s relationship with Niger.
As part of anti-terror operations, France has troops stationed in several regions of West Africa.
According to the French president, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger would all have ceased to exist if we hadn’t gotten involved in operations Serval and Barkhane.
He claimed that the French operations that successfully stopped the formation of caliphates a few thousand kilometers from France’s borders were requested by African states.
Macron stated, “When there is a coup and the fight against terrorism is not the priority of the new rulers, France does not feel called to remain engaged.
“For the countries involved, this is definitely dramatic.
The delegation of Islamic ulama who had come to see him in the presidential villa on Thursday was instructed by President Bola Tinubu to leave immediately and return to the Niger Republic in order to continue talks with the military junta.
Following the meeting, State House correspondent was briefed by Muhammed Idris, minister of information and national orientation.
“The Council of Ulammas has visited the President once more to provide an update on their ongoing discussions with the military junta and other key players in the Niger Republic.
“Mr. President has listened to them, and they will carry on this conversation,”. Mr. President is open to considering all options, including peaceful resolutions.
“He has asked the Ulammas to carry on their conversation, which they will.
Idris stated, “The dialogue will continue as the next line of action. As the leader of ECOWAS, Mr. President is interested in working to resolve this crisis, but as I said, nothing is off the table. ”.
The UK acknowledged Nigeria’s diplomatic mediation efforts to peacefully restore democracy in its northern neighbor, according to James Heappey, the UK’s minister of state for the armed forces.
