Algeria has made the decision to suspend its mediation efforts in Niger. This announcement came from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday, October 9th. The neighboring country of Niger has raised concerns about the genuine willingness of the Nigerien authorities to engage in this mediation.
Initially, Algiers had expressed its satisfaction with Niamey’s acceptance of its mediation proposal following the coup on July 26th. However, since then, the Algerian government has stated that preliminary discussions regarding a visit to Niamey did not yield satisfactory results.
The Algerian government explained its decision by pointing to official statements from the military leaders that raised doubts about their true intention to follow Algerian mediation.
“In consequence, the Algerian government has decided to suspend the engagement of the preparatory discussions until obtaining the clarifications it deems necessary regarding the implementation of Algerian mediation,” stated in the press release
Algeria had previously voiced its opposition to the military intervention option advocated by ECOWAS and had proposed a crisis exit plan in August. This plan was based on a six-month transition led by a civilian figure, with approval from all political factions.
In response to Algeria’s proposal last week, Niamey emphasized that only an inclusive national forum, the date of which is still pending, could determine the duration of the transition. The Nigerien Prime Minister, Ali Mahamane Lamine Zeine, also stated that he learned of Algeria’s announcement “through social media” and emphasized that there had been a “misunderstanding” with Algeria, suggesting the need to first “agree on the content of the initiative.”
AfrikPage