Libya urges cooperation on Niger for regional stability
Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, who is also the chairman of ECOWAS, sent a delegation to Libya as part of efforts to find solution to the crisis in Niger.
Libyan Presidential Council President Mohamad al-Menfi highlighted the importance of cooperation between neighbouring countries and an African bloc for regional stability, particularly in Niger.
Menfi met Nigeria's Special Envoy Babagana Kingibe in Tripoli, according to a statement from his office.
Kingibe delivered a letter from Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu who is the Chairman of West African regional bloc ECOWAS.
Menfi expressed satisfaction with consultations between Libya and Nigeria to maintain stability in Niger.
He said the military takeover of the elected government in Niger was not acceptable and stressed the importance of cooperation between Libya, Algeria, Chad and ECOWAS to preserve stability in Niger and the region.
Last week, the Libyan government 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 neighbouring countries.
That was after a group of soldiers, calling themselves the National Council for the Safeguarding of the Country announced that they had removed President Mohamed Bazoum from power.
Another Niger's neighbour, Algeria says it is against any military intervention in Niger.
"A military intervention could ignite the whole Sahel region and Algeria will not use force with its neighbours," Ennahar TV quoted President Abdelmadjid Tebboune as saying.
The coup in Niger and its fallout have sparked international concerns given the strategic position of the country in the Sahel.
The deposed President Mohamed Bazoum was elected in 2021 in Niger’s first democratic power transition since it gained independence from French colonial rule in 1960.