Libya urges neighbors, ECOWAS to cooperate for Niger's stability

TRIPOLI

Libyan Presidential Council President Mohamad al-Menfi highlighted the importance Saturday of cooperation between neighboring countries and an African bloc for regional stability, particularly in Niger.

Menfi met Nigeria's Special Envoy Babagana Kingibe, who is the President of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), in Tripoli, according to a statement from his office.

Kingibe delivered a letter from Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Menfi expressed satisfaction with consultations between Libya and Nigeria to maintain stability in Niger.

He cited the military takeover of the elected government in Niger is not acceptable and stressed the importance of cooperation between Libya, Algeria, Chad and ECOWAS to preserve stability in Niger and the region.

The Libyan government issued a statement Aug. 2 that expressed concern about troubling developments in Niger and warned that external intervention and efforts to drag the country into chaos would lead to further escalation of the crisis and result in security vulnerabilities in Niger and neighboring countries.

That was after a group of soldiers, calling themselves the National Council for the Safeguarding of the Country, delivered a July 26 statement on Nigerien state television shortly after detaining President Mohamed Bazoum. They said they took the step due to the "deteriorating security situation and bad governance."

Bazoum was elected in 2021 in Niger’s first democratic power transition since it gained independence from French colonial rule in 1960.

*Writing by Esra Tekin in Istanbul