The military junta denounces the “perfidious actions” of Antonio Guterres, the head of the UN

2023-09-23 10:40:48

Unrecognized by the international community, the military regime in Niger, resulting from a recent coup d’état, had little taste of its first experience at the UN. “The National Council for the Protection of the Fatherland (CNSP, authors of the July coup) and the government of the Republic of Niger call the national and international community to witness the perfidious actions of the Secretary General of the UN, Antonio Guterres, who are likely to undermine any effort to end the crisis in our country,” indicates a press release read on public television.

According to this text, Antonio Guterres “went astray in the exercise of his mission by obstructing the full participation of Niger in the 78th session of the UN General Assembly”. During this General Assembly, the military regime in power sent its new Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bakary Yaou Sangaré, who before the July 26 coup was the country’s representative to the UN.

A special commission, known for postponing its decisions

“Antonio Guterres not only refused to take note of the official list of delegates from Niger (…) but above all acceded to the fanciful request of the former Minister of Foreign Affairs Hassoumi Massaoudou tending to revoke the permanent representative of Niger to the United Nations,” notes the Niamey press release. Niger “rejects and forcefully denounces this manifest interference by Antonio Guterres in the internal affairs of a sovereign State”, adds the text which denounces “the complicity of France and two French-speaking heads of state” from West Africa, without mentioning them.

Antonio Guterres’ spokesperson rejected the explanations put forward by Niger. “In the event of competing credentials from a Member State, the Secretary General transmits the question to the Credentials Committee of the General Assembly which deliberates on the question. The general secretary does not decide,” explains Stéphane Dujarric. According to a diplomatic source, the UN has, in the case of Niger, received two different requests to speak at the General Assembly, one for Bakary Yaou Sangaré and the other coming from the overthrown government.

The question was therefore referred to the Credentials Committee which generally does not meet before the fall and no representative of Niger is therefore included on the list of speakers at the General Assembly. This commission made up of nine member states examines controversial situations, without making decisions. For example, it has several times postponed its decisions on Burma and Afghanistan, still represented at the UN by the ambassadors of the former governments.