General Abdourahamane Tchiani, the leader of the Niger junta, criticized the sanctions imposed by the Economic Community of West Africa States (ECOWAS) in a televised broadcast on Saturday night.
Tchiani demanded the restoration of electricity which was cut off by the Federal Government as part of the sanctions imposed on the coupists after the overthrow of President Mohamed Bazoum on July 26.
He made this demand after meeting a delegation of ECOWAS led by the former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar (rtd).
He stated that the economic sanctions imposed by the regional bloc were unnecessary and only harm the “good people” of Niger. He also mentioned that hospitals suffer from power outages resulting in the death of patients and children.
He said border closures make access to food, drugs and other essentials very difficult.
Iwitnesslive reports that ECOWAS issued a seven-day ultimatum to the Niger Republic junta to reinstate ousted President Bazoum, following the military takeover. Despite pressure from the organization and other countries, the military leaders have refused to comply.
In his 12-minute speech, Tchiani claimed that ECOWAS was preparing to attack Niger by collaborating with a foreign army to set up an occupying force.
“I reaffirm here that our ambition is not to confiscate power. I also reaffirm our readiness to engage in any dialogue, as long as it takes into account the orientations desired by the proud and resilient people of Niger,” he added.
