The Spokesman for the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Stephane Dujarric, announced that the UN representative for West Africa and the Sahel, Leonardo Santos Simao, is expected to arrive in Niger to negotiate a settlement to the crisis.
Dujarric said, "The UN Special Representative for West Africa and the Sahel, Leonardo Santos Simao, went to Niger to negotiate with the military council, and the diplomat intends to search for a solution to the current crisis in the country."
He explained that "Simao has already visited a number of other countries in the region, and is expected to arrive in the near future in Niamey, the capital of Niger."
He stressed that "Simao is still in contact with the West African Community of States, ECOWAS, to resolve the dispute as soon as possible."
The Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security of the "ECOWAS" group, Abdel Fattah Musa, confirmed in a press conference in the Ghanaian capital, Accra, that "a date has been set for military intervention in Niger, but without announcing it."
On Friday evening, a military source in Niger reported the arrival of combat aircraft and attack helicopters from Mali and Burkina Faso, to support the armed forces in Niger in the face of a possible military intervention by ECOWAS.
For its part, the Russian Foreign Ministry stated that a military solution to settle the crisis in Niger could lead to a long-term confrontation and destabilization of the situation in the Sahel and Sahara region.
Source: National Iraqi News Agency