The leader of the Niger junta, General Abdourahamane Tchiani, has said the army will hand over power to a civilian government within the next three years.
Tchiani spoke after meeting with a delegation of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) led by the former Nigerian Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar.
Speaking in a televised broadcast Saturday night, General Tchiani said the coup leaders would hand over to a civilian government within three years, adding that within one month, the junta would set up a committee to study and form a new constitution for the country.
While stressing that Niger does not want to go to war, Tchiani said the county would defend itself if the need arises.
He, however, added that the door for negotiation was still open.
ECOWAS was yet to react to the speech of the junta leader but Abdulsalami is expected to brief the regional bloc on the outcome of the meeting.
AFRIPOST reports that in a show of solidarity with the junta, Burkina Faso and Mali have deployed warplanes to Niger against possible military intervention by the ECOWAS after the defence chiefs of the regional bloc had revealed that they had reached an agreement on a “D-Day” for a military intervention to restore the civil rule in that country.
