Niger’s military junta on Monday called on Togo’s President FAURE GNASSINGBE to act as a facilitator with the international community, including the West African bloc ECOWAS which has imposed sanctions since a coup.
Niger’s Defence Minister General SALIFOU MODY met GNASSINGBE in Togo’s capital, Lome where he said the junta also wanted Togo to be a guarantor of a deal for French troops to withdraw from the Sahel country.
The Economic Community of West African States ,ECOWAS, has imposed tight financial sanctions and closed border trade with Niger in a bid to restore constitutional order.
MODY, who called the sanctions “cynical”, said Togo had allowed space for the Niger junta to communicate when other avenues were shut.
Though an ECOWAS member, Togo has taken some bilateral initiatives to engage with Niger’s military leadership.
Meanwhile, France has already started pulling out its 1,500 troops from Niger after the junta demanded they leave following the July 28 ouster of President Mohamed Bazoum.
MODY said the withdrawal was going ahead with some French “air assets” being prepared for departure.
Togo’s foreign minister ROBERT DUSSEY said the country was ready to assist in dialogue.
President Bola
President BOLA TINUBU , the current chair of ECOWAS, said he is proceeding cautiously on Niger due to concerns over the safety of ousted president BAZOUM.
The junta has however demanded up to a three-year transition back to civilian rule, while ECOWAS has called for the immediate restoration of constitutional order but President TINUBU said back channels were still open.
Niger is battling two jihadist insurgencies, a spillover in its southeast from a long conflict in neighboring Nigeria, and an offensive in the west by militants crossing from Mali and Burkina Faso.