Niger: Finally, « a breath of fresh air.
A convoy of 300 trucks arrived in Niamey, the capital of Niger, on Saturday.The trucks, which had come from Burkina Faso, were carrying salt, corn and household products, among other items.
According to the Niger authorities, the convoy was secured by the armed forces of Burkina Faso and Niger.
This is a breath of fresh air for Niger, which has been living under sanctions imposed by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
These sanctions were imposed by the sub-regional community on July 30, following the coup that overthrew Mohamed Bazoum on July 26.
Benin and Nigeria have closed their borders, disrupting supplies to Niger, a move denounced by the World Food Program (WFP), which warned on Wednesday that the regional sanctions and border closures were « greatly affecting Niger’s supply of vital food and medical supplies ».
But Niger could count on the solidarity of its neighbor Burkina Faso.This is a great relief for Niger, which has not received trucks from the Burkina corridor for a long time.
This gesture comes at a time when ECOWAS is still holding talks with the military with a view to finding a way out of the crisis.
As for the Chiefs of Staff, they have opted for the diplomatic route following their meeting in Accra, Ghana, on August 17 and 18.
What will be the final decision of ECOWAS, which has made no proposal to the junta other than to brandish the use of military force to reinstate deposed president Mohamed Bazoum?
As for the military junta, it announced on Monday a transition of 03 years. A decision that the West African community does not seem to approve of at the moment.
“If it takes two to tango », as Abdel-Fatau Musah, the regional organization’s Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, put it, no one party can be pressured into its decisions.
If ECOWAS were to opt for the diplomatic route, we would certainly see a definitive end to the crisis in Niger.
