West African bloc labels the transition plan of the Niger coup leaders as “provocation” – AP

According to ECOWAS political affairs commissioner Abdel-Fatau Musah, the current diplomatic attempts won’t last forever.

According to the Associated Press, Abdel-Fatau Musah, the ECOWAS commissioner for political affairs, peace, and security, stated on Wednesday that the group would not hold protracted talks with the new military government in Niger.

Musah made the remark as he reiterated the rejection of the 15-nation bloc of the Nigerien coup leaders’ demand for a three-year transition to civilian administration following their toppling of President Mohamed Bazoum last month.

“We’re not going to haggle with these military officers for a very long time. We followed that path in Mali, Burkina Faso, and other places, but nothing has changed, he told AP.

Bazoum and his family have been held under house arrest since July 26. The West African regional bloc has imposed penalties on the coup plotters to put pressure on them to free them and reinstate constitutional order.

General Abdourahamane Tchiani, the head of the military government in Niger, declared last Saturday that the transition to democracy’s guiding principles would be settled within 30 days and that the process itself would not run longer than three years. He made the announcement following a meeting with an ECOWAS team.

While direct and indirect conversations are still going on, Musah told the AP that Tchiani’s proposed deadline was a “provocative” step and that the door to diplomacy is not open “indefinitely.”

The official said: “The heads of state of ECOWAS and the commission believe that the coup in Niger is one coup too many for the region and that if we allow it, we will have a domino effect in the region. We are determined to stop it.”

If diplomatic attempts fail, the bloc declared this week that it is prepared to send soldiers into Niger to liberate Bazoum and restore his government.

The military leaders of Niger have denounced the sanctions and use-of-force threats made by the regional authority, charging that it is acting at the behest of international powers.

Musah, on the other hand, has refuted the accusations, saying that no outside parties were engaged and that the ECOWAS military intervention plan was exclusively based on the resources of member states.