Iran Calls for Calm in Niger
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs called for stability and calm in Niger, whose President Mohammed Bazoum has been detained and removed in a coup led by members of his presidential guard.
Iran is closely monitoring the developments in Niger, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Nasser Kanaani said at a press conference on Monday.
“We stress the need for respect for the rule of law (in Niger). We call for calm and stability in this friendly African country,” he stated.
The spokesman also described “internal dialogue” as the sole way for the settlement of problems in Niger.
General Abdourahmane Tchiani – also known as Omar Tchiani, who is the chief of Niger’s presidential guard – has declared himself leader while Niger’s elected president has been held by the military since the coup took place last week.
Bazoum is one of a dwindling group of elected presidents and pro-Western leaders in the Sahel, where since 2020 an armed uprising has triggered coups in Mali and Burkina Faso.
At an emergency summit in Nigeria, the 15-nation Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) regional bloc demanded on Sunday that Bazoum be reinstated within a week.