NIAMEY, Niger — Niger’s National Conference on Thursday submitted a proposal to return the country to non-military rule after a five-year transition period during which the current military government will stay in power.
The proposal, awaiting the junta’s approval, includes abolishing all political parties and drafting a new party charter authorizing the creation of no more than five parties. The proposal also allows junta leader Brigadier General Abdourahamane Tchiani, to stand as a candidate in the proposed election.
Tchiani pledged to implement the conference’s recommendations, saying “I am committed to fulfilling the sovereign people’s hope. You have done your part; I will do mine.”
Niger and its neighbors Mali and Burkina Faso have battled for over a decade an insurgency fought by jihadi groups, including some allied with al-Qaida and the Islamic State group. Following military coups in all three nations in recent years, the ruling juntas have expelled French forces and turned to Russia’s mercenary units for security assistance.
The security situation in the Sahel has worsened since the juntas took power, analysts say, with a record number of attacks and civilians killed both by Islamic militants and government forces. The violence in Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso has killed more than 3,470 people in the last six months while 2.6 million people are currently displaced, according to the United Nations refugee agency.
After coming into power, the juntas in the three countries left the Economic Community of West African States, the nearly 50-year-old regional bloc known as ECOWAS, and created their own security partnership, the Alliance of Sahel States, in September last year.
Some analysts described it as an attempt to legitimize their military governments amid coup-related sanctions and strained relations with neighbors.
____
Follow AP’s Africa coverage at: https://apnews.com/hub/africa
Article by:Source:
