Algeria has dispatched a senior official to Niger on Thursday as part of its diplomatic efforts following a recent military coup in the adjacent nation.
According to a statement from the Algerian foreign ministry on the platform formerly known as Twitter, Lounes Magramane, the Secretary General of the ministry, is scheduled to visit Niger on Thursday.
Just one day after Algerian Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf initiated a tour of West African nations aimed at seeking a resolution, Algeria has sent a high-ranking official to Niger.
The ECOWAS regional group in West Africa has issued a warning of potential military intervention to restore the elected president of Niger, Mohamed Bazoum, who was taken into custody by the armed forces on July 26th.
Magramane’s visit was another step in Algiers’ “unceasing efforts… to contribute to a peaceful solution to the crisis in Niger, avoiding increased risks for this neighbouring and brotherly country and for the entire region”, the Algerian foreign ministry said.
The diplomat was scheduled to engage in a sequence of meetings with prominent figures and senior officials in Niger, as stated by the ministry.
With a southern land border spanning 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) with Niger, Algeria has previously raised concerns about a military approach.
President Abdelmadjid Tebboune emphasized that such a course of action would pose a direct threat to his country.
He stressed “there will be no solution without us (Algeria). We are the first people affected”.
Algeria, the largest nation in Africa, also has borders with Libya and Mali, both entangled in protracted conflicts for several years.
Niger becomes the fourth West African nation since 2020 to experience a coup, following the examples of Burkina Faso, Guinea, and Mali.
The ruling bodies in Burkina Faso and Mali have stated that any military involvement in their neighboring nation would be interpreted as a “declaration of war” against their respective countries.