Nigerien Transitional President Tiani Rejects Return to ECOWAS

Nigerien transitional president, General Abdulrahman Tiani, has reaffirmed that the return of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) countries to ECOWAS is unthinkable.

In a national television interview, Tiani warned that any measures taken against the citizens of Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso would be met with immediate reciprocity.

On July 6, eleven months after the creation of the AES, the bloc held its first summit in Niger, adopting the treaty establishing the AES Confederation.

The following day, at the 65th ECOWAS summit in Nigeria, Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye and Togolese President Faure Gnassingbé were designated as facilitators for discussions with the AES states, which had announced their departure from ECOWAS in January.

Omar Alieu Touray, President of the ECOWAS Commission, stated that the withdrawal of the three countries would affect their citizens’ travel and immigration conditions, requiring visas for travel within the sub-region and subjecting them to various national laws.

While no official decision has been made by ECOWAS, General Tiani emphasized that any actions against the AES Confederation would be reciprocated immediately.

 

Report by Alhassan Sanusi

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