Algeria, attempting to give substance to its double "no" to the situation in Niger – neither accepting the coup nor approving foreign military intervention against the putschists – made a proposal, on Tuesday, August 29, for a six-month transition plan for a return to constitutional and democratic order. The initiative, announced at a press conference in Algiers by Algerian Minister of Foreign Affairs Ahmed Attaf, drastically reduces the three-year "transition" proposed by the junta.

"The process can be completed in six months so that the coup d'état does not become a fait accompli," said Attaf, who has just completed a three-country tour of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). He visited Nigeria, whose President Bola Tinubu currently heads the regional organization; Benin; and Ghana. On August 9, he held talks in Washington with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

The secretary general of the Algerian Foreign Ministry, Lounès Magramane, traveled to Niamey on August 24, where he held talks with the junta-appointed prime minister, Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine, without meeting President Mohamed Bazoum, who has been detained since July 26. This diplomatic action is intended to promote a solution based on both "the rejection of unconstitutional change and the refusal to use force to deal with the resulting crisis," explained the Algerian Foreign Ministry.

Algiers' primary objective is to work, over a six-month period, to find internal "political arrangements" in Niger "between all parties" to enable a return to constitutional order, notably by granting guarantees to the putschists. The proposal specifies that the transition would be supervised by a "civil authority headed by a consensual figure accepted by all sides of the political class, in order to lead to the restoration of constitutional order in the country."

Algeria "will engage in intensive contacts and consultations with all parties concerned who can contribute to and assist in the political resolution of the crisis or support efforts to achieve it," explained Attaf. Algeria also advocates holding an "international conference on development in the Sahel" to mobilize funds for development programs and "ensure stability and security in a sustainable manner," he added.

Algeria is determined to avert the prospect of military intervention, which continues to be raised as an "option" by ECOWAS leaders with the support of France. Attaf described his meetings with the leaders of Nigeria, Benin and Ghana as "fruitful," adding that they had assured him that they are not "warmongers."

You have 33.32% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only.