Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, a former governor of Nigeria’s central bank and the Emir of Kano, met with the leader of the military coup in Niger on Wednesday in the Nigerean capital Niamey in an effort to mediate the issue.
The coup commander, Gen. Abdourahmane Tchiani, has avoided multiple envoys, including one from the West African regional organisation, Ecowas. This is the first delegation he has personally met.
Sa’ad Abubakar III, the Sultan of Sokoto, Victoria Nuland, the US Acting Deputy Secretary of State, and other African Union and UN delegations have all been ignored by Gen Tchiani in the past.
The Ecowas chairman, Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, would get a “message” from Mr. Sanusi, who said he had spoken with Gen. Tchiani on Wednesday.
The leaders of Niger and Nigeria are expected to hold substantive conversations after our arrival, Mr. Sanusi continued.
It occurs as the heads of state of the Ecowas are about to meet in Abuja, Nigeria, to debate the next steps after the military junta in Niger disregarded an ultimatum to reinstate deposed President Mohamed Bazoum.