United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres
United Nations, Aug 7 (RHC) United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday expressed his concern over the political crisis in Niger and reiterated his support for the mediation of the Economic Community of West African States.
In a message released by his office, the UN official said he was concerned about the arrest of President Mohamed Bazoum and "the failure so far to restore constitutional order".
The Special Representative of the Secretary General for West Africa and the Sahel, Leonardo Santos Simao, who is currently in Nigeria, is following this work at first hand, after the end of the ultimatum given to the coup junta.
At the same time, Guterres urged to ensure that the humanitarian work of the United Nations and its entities in the country goes unhindered.
In this regard, he emphasized the need for the UN Humanitarian Air Service, which provides a vital link to remote communities in Niger, to be able to operate and continue to serve those communities.
For its part, the Economic Community of West African States announced that next Thursday an extraordinary summit on Niger will be held with the presence of the heads of state of the organization, in order to define next actions after the ultimatum to the coup junta has expired.
The Nigerian President and temporary head of the organization, Bola Tinubu, convened the meeting to be held in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, after an extraordinary summit was held on July 30 where the possibility of an armed intervention in Niger became evident.
For her part, the South African Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Naledi Pandor, expressed her hope that Ecowas "will have successful interactions with the coup leaders and convince them to return to their barracks".
While the governments of Nigeria, Benin, Ivory Coast and Senegal have expressed their willingness to proceed with armed intervention, Mali and Burkina Faso, where military juntas hold power, have expressed their support for the Nigerian coup leaders.
