General Abdourahamane Tchiani, the leader of the Niger Republic junta, on Saturday said that the army would hand over power to a civilian government within the next three years.
He also said that in one month’s time, the junta would form a committee to begin to work on a new constitution of the country.
Tchiani stated this in his speech in a nationwide address on national television on Saturday night.
He made the speech shortly after meeting with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) delegation led by former Nigerian Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar (rtd).
As of the time Tchiani addressed Nigeriens, the ECOWAS delegation was still in Niamey.
It is not clear how the ECOWAS leaders will react to the latest position of the junta.
Tchiani emphasized that while Niger does not want to go to war and the military leaders’ door is open for discussions, they will defend themselves if the need arises.
Meanwhile, a senior envoy of the United Nations on Saturday arrived Niamey for further talks with the military rulers.
Earlier yesterday, Abdulsalami had told journalists that the ECOWAS delegation’s meeting with the junta went well and had opened a door for further talks.
The meeting was a last-ditch diplomatic effort to reach a peaceful solution with the military rulers who overthrew President Mohamed Bazoum on July 26.
The delegation met with Prime Minister Ali Lamine Zeine who received them at the airport.
Members of the delegation also met with the head of the junta, General Abdourahamane Tchiani, for about 90 minutes and later with ousted President Bazoum.
Abdulsalami did not go into details of the discussion with the detained president.
“We met him (Bazoum) and heard his side of the story. He told us what was done to him and the challenges he is facing. We will communicate this to ECOWAS leaders. Doors for talks are now open for a lasting solution.”
The CNN had, weeks ago, quoted Bazoum in a series of text messages to a friend as saying that he had been “deprived of all human contact” , with no one supplying him food or medicine.
Bazoum had also said he had been living without electricity, a similar situation for all Nigeriens after Nigeria cut off electric power in response to the coup.
The overthrown president said all of the perishable food he was supplied with had since gone bad, and he was now eating dry pasta and rice.
The junta had, last week, granted Bazoum access to his doctor.
Sources had earlier said Abdulsalami’s delegation could not meet with the junta.
A previous effort by the ECOWAS delegation, also led by Abdulsalami, had failed.
Tichiani had apologised when some Nigerian clerics met with him penultimate Saturday, saying he did not meet the delegation out of anger.
ECOWAS had activated its standby force and said all options were on the table after the junta had ignored the ultimatum to reinstate Bazoum.(Daily Trust)
