West Africa: Sanusi Meets Niger Coup Leaders

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Lamido Sanusi, the spiritual leader (Khalifah) of the Tijaniyah Islamic movement in Nigeria and former Governor of the Nigerian Central Bank, met in Niamey with the leader of the junta, General Abdourahamane Tchiani.
9 August 2023
Daily Trust (Abuja)
By Daily Trust

Alhaji Muhammadu Sanusi, 14th Emir of Kano, has met with the coup leaders in Niger Republic.

The former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) met the military leadership after the junta aborted a meeting with representatives of African Union (AU), Economic Community of West Africa States (ECOWAS) and a top US diplomat.

A delegation raised by ECOWAS could not broker peace with the military rulers as they declined a meeting. But on Wednesday, footages of Sanusi, whose Tijjaniya sect has a large following in Niger, went into circulation.Sanusi is the Khalifa of the sect in Nigeria.

The revered Nigerian economist met the Junta leaders in company of the Sultan of Damagaran. Damagaran is the third largest city in Niger.

Sources told Daily Trust that Sanusi went there to open the door for negotiation with the junta. One of the sources said, "His Highness took the trip in his personal capacity but with the knowledge of President Bola Tinubu following his concerns about the impasse and the likely consequences it is already having on Nigeria/Niger relations and the citizens of the two countries."

The meeting comes a day before the gathering of ECOWAS leaders in Abuja. President Bola Tinubu, who is the Chairman of ECOWAS, had scheduled a meeting for Thursday after the 7-day ultimatum that the regional bloc issued for the reinstatement of President Mohamed Bazoum elapsed.

ECOWAS had slammed sanctions on Niger and threatened possible military option, a move that was widely rejected, especially in Nigeria.

Read the original article on Daily Trust.

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