The arrival of Russian mercenary group Wagner in Mali with soldiers, arms and ammunition, has introduced a new twist into the crisis over the military coup in Niger Republic.
The Wagner group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, a few days after appearing in a video at a time he was believed to be in Congo, showed up in Mali, dressed in military fatigue.
He claimed that the arrival of its team in Mali is to assist the Mali military government to dislodge terrorists and “any other interest”, according to a report monitor on Al-Jazeera.
Mali and Burkina Faso, also ruled by military junta, have both declared their backing for the Niger coupists.
They have faulted the sanctions slammed on Niger by Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the African Union (AU) following the military take-over.
They pledged to join Niger in resisting any form of force that might be used against the Niger junta.
To give vent to their pledge, they have reportedly moved troops to Niamey as a backup to the Niger military.
ECOWAS has rejected the three-year transition plan hinted by Niger coup leader General Abdourahamane Tchiani, reaffirming the possibility of use of force should dialogue fail.
The junta has also insisted that it would not respect ECOWAS position.
The Wagner presence in Mali, which shares a long border with Niger is believed to be part of giving support in Niger.
The coup leaders had requested support from Wagner, and Prigozhin said his men were ready to provide it.
A former Russian official claimed Wagner and the Russian state conspired to facilitate the military coup in Niger.
“The recent coup in Niger was carried out in close cooperation with Russian special services and Private Military Company (PMC) consultants,” claimed Russian military blogger Mikhail Zvinchuk, a former press officer for Russia’s defence ministry, who uses the alias “Rybar”.
The junta took power last month, overthrowing the government of President Mohamed Bazoum and keeping him under house arrest at the Presidential Palace in Niamey.
But, former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai joined the push-back against use of force on the junta.
He said there is still hope for a peaceful resolution of the crisis though.
ECOWAS Envoy to Niger Republic, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, said the situation is not likely to deteriorate.
Gen. Abdulsalami, a former Head of State, spoke with reporters at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, after a meeting with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who is the Chairman of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of the ECOWAS.
Also at the meeting were President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr Omar Touray, and the National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu.
Gen. Abdulsalami, who had last weekend met with Bazoum and the junta leaders, said he delivered the peace terms proposed by the junta to ECOWAS.
According to him, correspondences were being exchanged between the West African regional bloc and the Niger military rulers.
He noted that the line of communication opened through his appointment as envoy had been very fruitful.
Gen. Abudulsalami said: “As you are aware, the ECOWAS Heads of State and Government have made me an envoy to Niger Republic.
“We were there over the weekend to see the military people and discussed how to find a way out of the situation.
“That’s why I’m here, together with the President of the ECOWAS Commission, to report back to Mr. President on our discussions in Niger.
“I must say that our visit to Niger was very fruitful. It has opened an avenue to start talking and hopefully we’ll get somewhere.”
The former Head of State said President Tinubu would consult with his colleagues on the way forward.
Asked if military action can be avoided, he said: “Hopefully diplomacy will see the better of this. Nobody wants to go to war; it doesn’t pay anybody.
“But then again, our leaders have said if all fails and I don’t think all will fail, we’ll get somewhere and we’ll get out of this mess.”
Leaders of the AU, the 55-nation bloc, froze Niger’s membership as President Bazoum and his family remained under house arrest in the capital Niamey.
The announcement of the move was the first public communication from the AU since it met earlier this month to discuss the situation in Niger.
The AU council called on all member states and the international community to reject the country’s “unconstitutional change of government and to refrain from any action likely to grant legitimacy to the illegal regime in Niger.”
AU’s latest decision was contained in a communique issued yesterday.
