The soldiers responsible for the coup d’etat in Niger announced, on Monday evening, the appointment of a Prime Minister, Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine, in a press release read on national television, at a time when the international community is seeking to restore the constitutional order. The Express summarizes the latest information on the crisis in Niger.
A new prime minister
“Mr. (Ali Mahaman) Lamine Zeine has been appointed Prime Minister,” announced Colonel-Major Amadou Abdramane. As soon as he came to power, former president Mamadou Tandja appointed Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine as chief of staff in 2001, then finance minister in 2002, to redress a chaotic economic and financial situation.
Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine, an economist by training, was also resident representative of the African Development Bank (AfDB) in Chad, Côte d’Ivoire and Gabon. Born in 1965 in Zinder (south), in the second most populous city in the country, he joined the Ministry of Economy and Finance in 1991 after studying at the National School of Administration (ENA) in Niamey. He is also a graduate of the Center for Financial, Economic and Banking Studies of Marseille and Paris-I. “Lieutenant-Colonel Habibou Assoumane” was also “appointed commander of the presidential guard”, added Amadou Abdramane.
Blinken wants to favor diplomacy
Diplomacy is the “preferable way” to resolve the crisis caused by the coup in Niger, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Monday in an interview with Radio France Internationale (RFI).
“It is certain that diplomacy is the preferable way to resolve this situation. This is the approach of ECOWAS, this is our approach and we support the efforts of ECOWAS to restore constitutional order”, declared Antony Blinken , referring to the Community of West African States. An American emissary said that she had “difficult” discussions last night in Niamey with the soldiers behind the coup in Niger.
A new ECOWAS meeting on Thursday
The leaders of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) will meet again Thursday in Abuja, the capital of Nigeria, to discuss the situation in Niger, two weeks after the coup, indicated ECOWAS in a press release.
At a previous summit in Abuja on July 30, West African leaders gave the Nigerien military a week to restore elected President Mohamed Bazoum, who is currently being held prisoner. The chiefs of staff of the region had even drawn the “outlines” of a possible armed intervention, but it was not triggered when the ultimatum expired on Sunday at 23:00 GMT.
According to a source close to ECOWAS, an intervention is not envisaged at this stage, and the path of dialogue therefore still seems to be on the table.