2023-08-19 17:59:28
Did you miss the latest events on the crisis in Niger? 20 Minutes takes stock for you every evening at 8 p.m. Who did what ? Who said what? Where are we ? The answer below.
The fact of the day
Friday, the commissioner for political affairs, peace and security of ECOWAS, Abdel-Fatau Musah had not minced these words. “We are ready to intervene as soon as the order is given. The day of the intervention was also fixed. Faced with a possible military intervention, the new Nigerien regime remains inflexible for the moment.
On Saturday morning, thousands of volunteers therefore gathered near the Seyni Kountché stadium, in the city center of the capital, responding to a call from several organizations to be registered on lists as potentially mobilized civilian auxiliaries in the within the putschist armed forces in the event of military intervention by ECOWAS.
The number of the day
27. This is the number of people who have lost their lives in heavy rains that have hit Niger since July, according to official figures released on Saturday. Because coup or not, the rainy season rages in Niger.
As of August 18, the floods had killed 27 people across the country and injured 30, according to figures from the Ministry of Humanitarian Action. Some 71,136 people (8,458 households) are affected, reports the ministry on Saturday with 6,530 houses in particular having collapsed.
sentence of the day
nothing will happen [au président Mohamed Bazoum] because we have no tradition of violence in Niger”
These are the words of the new Prime Minister of the Niger military government Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine. The latter returned Friday evening in an interview with the New York Times on the intentions of the new Nigerien executive.
Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine also affirms that the Nigerien soldiers who appointed him have “no intention” of collaborating with Russia, nor with the mercenaries of the Wagner group.
Asked about the fate of Mohamed Bazoum who worries the international community, Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine replies that “nothing will happen to him”. However, warned the President of Nigeria Bola Tinubu during an interview Thursday with the President of the European Council Charles Michel, and according to comments reported Friday by an EU official, “the conditions of detention of President Bazoum are deteriorating. Any further deterioration in his state of health will have serious consequences. »
The trend of the day
An ECOWAS delegation arrived this Saturday in Niamey to try to find a diplomatic solution to this crisis. This delegation, which landed at midday in the capital, is led by former Nigerian President Abdulsalami Abubakar, according to the communication unit of the National Council for the Safeguarding of the Fatherland (CNSP) which took power in Niger.
According to a source close to ECOWAS, this delegation wishes to convey “a message of firmness” to the military in Niamey and meet President Bazoum who is still being held prisoner.
On Friday, the commissioner for political affairs, peace and security of the regional organization, Abdel-Fatau Musah announced that this mission aimed to “continue to follow the peaceful path to restore constitutional order”. The diplomatic channel is therefore still favored by ECOWAS, which however indicated on Friday evening that it was ready to use force to restore constitutional order in Niger.
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