- Niger’s military leaders have announced that any transition process will take the country three years.
- General Abdourahmane Tiani, the leader of the military junta, made this known in a televised broadcast shortly after a meeting with the ECOWAS negotiation team on Saturday night.
- Tiani, who was the head of the presidential guard before he removed his boss through a coup, said his ambition was not to confiscate power.
General Abdourahmane Tiani, the leader of the military junta in the Niger Republic, has disclosed that it would take the country up to three years to transmit power from military rule to the democratic government.
The general then warned that any external attack on the country would not be easy for those involved, TRT Afrika reported.
Niger military leader, Tiani, says his ambition is not to confiscate power
Tiani, in a televised broadcast to the people of the country on Saturday night, August 19, said that his “ambition is not to confiscate power,” adding that the transition of power “would not go beyond three years”.
The junta leader also declared a 30-day “national dialogue” that would see to the emergence of a new foundation for the country, where a new constitution would be proposed.
General Tiani was the head of the Presidential Guard in the Niger Republic but ousted his boss, President Mohamed Bazoum, in a coup on July 26. This incident sparked international condemnation and pressured him to hand over power.
Niger coup leader speaks after meeting Abdulsalami Abubakar-led ECOWAS team.
The broadcast of the military leader followed a meeting of a delegation from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), a regional bloc.
Recall that the ECOWAS team also met with the ousted Bazoum on Saturday during its visit to Niamey, the Nigerien capital. The team, led by former Nigerian president Abdulsalami Abubakar travelled to the country for a peaceful solution rather than military intervention.
Abubakar’s team visit came a day after the ECOWAS military chiefs announced their readiness to intervene and reinstate the ousted President Bazoum.
