Niger junta says open to talks as Putin, U.S. stress peace

Niger’s junta said that it was open to talks to resolve a regional crisis caused by last month’s military coup, while Russia and the United States called for a peaceful resolution.

Niger's junta on Tuesday said that it was open to talks to resolve a regional crisis caused by last month's military coup, while Russia and the United States called for a peaceful resolution.

Western powers and democratic African governments have called for the coup leaders to reinstate ousted President Mohamed Bazoum, who they have detained since July 26, but the military leaders have refused and rejected attempts at negotiation.

West African army chiefs will meet on Thursday and Friday in Ghana to prepare for a possible military intervention, which the main regional bloc, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), has threatened to launch if diplomacy fails.

Any military intervention could further destabilise the impoverished Sahel, where an insurgency by groups linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State has displaced millions over the past decade and fuelled a hunger crisis.

"We are in a process of transition. We have explained the ins and outs, reiterated our willingness to remain open and to talk to all parties, but we have insisted on the need for the country to be independent," said Ali Mahamane Lamine Zeine, who was appointed prime minister by the military last week.

He spoke after a trip to meet Chad's President Mahamat Deby, who staged his own coup in 2021. Niger's takeover is the seventh in West and Central Africa in three years.

The coup and its aftermath have sucked in international powers with strategic interests in the region.