The Head of the Military Junta in Niger Republic, General Abdourahamane Tchiani, has paid an official visit to Togonese President, Faure Gnassingbé.
Tchiani who has been in power in Niger since the July 26 military coup, met Gnassingbé in Lomé on Friday, to strengthen bilateral relations between the two African countries.
at a time when Niger is being suffocated by economic sanctions.
According to a statement from the Togolese presidency on Friday evening, the two leaders “reaffirmed the will to deepen bilateral cooperation,” and announced the opening of a Togolese embassy in Niamey.
Report revealed that aside from cooperation on security issues linked to rising insecurity in the region, Tiani and Gnassingbé also discussed collaboration “on transit and transport on the Lomé-Ouagadougou-Niamey corridor”, “once the situation has returned to normal”.
Since the overthrow of President Mohamed Bazoum in July and the seizure of power by the junta, Togo has reportedly taken several initiatives to mediate with military regime in Niger, at the junta’s request, despite being a member of the Economic Community of West African Countries.
The daily lives of the Nigeriens have been gradually difficult due to the economic and financial sanctions the country was subjected to, by the Ecowas, after the Military leaders took over the government.
However, the sanctions against the country will be debated on Sunday in Abuja, during the ECOWAS annual summit at the Nigerian capital city.
Nigeria had on December 3, while holding the ECOWAS presidency, called on Niamey’s military rulers to release the deposed president and allow him to travel “to a third country” before “discussing the lifting of sanctions,” but the military ruler asserted that “nothing bad will happen” to Bazoum, ruling out a “transfer to a foreign country.”
The Niger military junta has also rejected ECOWAS’ demands, to restore constitutional order, and insists that a transitional period of up to three years is needed to do so, while the country faces two jihadist insurgencies in the south-east and west.
Meanwhile, the junta’s request to suspend the sanctions against it was on December 7, rejected by the ECOWAS Court of Justice.
