NIAMEY, Aug 2 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Niger’s land and air borders with five neighbouring countries have been reopened, nearly a week after they were closed following a coup that overthrew elected President Mohamed Bazoum, one of the soldiers has announced on national television.
“The land and air borders with Algeria, Burkina Faso, Libya, Mali and Chad are reopened” from “today”, he declared on Tuesday, hours after the first French evacuation flight took off and five days before a deadline to restore constitutional order issued by a bloc of West African countries.
In the region’s third military takeover in as many years, President Mohamed Bazoum was overthrown by his own guard, sounding alarm bells in the region and beyond.
Military chiefs of members of the West African bloc ECOWAS will meet in the Nigerian capital Abuja from Wednesday to Friday to discuss the coup in Niger, the organisation said.
On Sunday the Economic Community of West African States slapped sanctions on Niger and warned it may use force as it gave the junta a week to reinstate President Mohamed Bazoum.
An ECOWAS official also said that a delegation from the bloc led by former Nigerian president Abdulsalami Abubakar would visit Niger on Wednesday.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken and African Union (AU) Commission Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat agreed on Tuesday that there is “no acceptable military solution” to the crisis in Niger.
Blinken spoke with Mahamat by telephone to discuss “the concerning developments in Niger,” and both “reiterated the shared US-AU priorities of seeing the immediate release of President Mohamed Bazoum and urged respect for the rule of law and public safety,” State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement.
“The Secretary and Chairperson Faki also welcomed regional leadership and cooperation, which is essential to restore constitutional order in Niger,” he said.
“Agreeing there is no acceptable military solution to the conflict in Sudan, they discussed coordinated efforts to end the fighting as well as the urgent need for unimpeded humanitarian access and for all parties to respect human rights,” added Miller.
The first of three planes carrying mostly French and European people evacuated from Niger landed in Paris early Wednesday, a week after a coup toppled one of the last pro-Western leaders in the Sahel.
“There are 262 people on board the plane, an Airbus A330, including a dozen babies,” French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna said before the flight landed at Paris Roissy Charles de Gaulle airport.
“Nearly all the passengers are compatriots” along with “some European nationals”.
There were also Nigeriens, Portuguese, Belgians, Ethiopians and Lebanese on board, the Foreign Ministry told reporters at the airport. A second flight carrying French, Nigerian, German, Belgian, Canadian, American, Austrian and Indian nationals was due to land. — NNN-AGENCIES
