Algeria has offered the military that seized power in Niger a "six-month transitional plan" to restore constitutional and democratic order, instead of the three years they proposed, the country's head of diplomacy said, quoted by "AFP".

Niger's new leader has called for a "transition period of a maximum duration of three years," Algerian Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf told a news conference in Algiers."But in our opinion, the process can be completed in six months so that the (current) coup d'état does not become a 'fait accompli'," he added.

Attaf had just returned from a tour of Nigeria, Benin and Ghana, three countries of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

The deputy head of his ministry visited Niamey separately, where he was able to hold talks with Prime Minister Ali Mahaman Lamin Zein. But he has not met with ousted President Mohamed Bazoum, Ataff noted, without specifying whether Bazoum would be included in the proposed transition plan.

Algeria proposes political discussions "for a maximum of six months (...) with the participation and approval of all parties in Niger without exclusion", under the supervision of a "civilian body headed by a consensus figure accepted by all political forces" to bring to "restoration of constitutional order in the country". Minister Ataff confirmed that Algeria, which has a common border of nearly 1,000 km with Niger, opposes any armed intervention in its neighbor. On August 6, President Tebboune already made it clear that he "categorically rejects any external military intervention" in Niger, which he described as a "direct threat to Algeria."

Following the July 26 ouster of Niger's President Bazoum, on August 10 ECOWAS announced its intention to deploy West African forces "to restore constitutional order in Niger."

Ataff warned that such a decision could have "catastrophic consequences and push thousands of Nigeriens down the path of migration". A new conflict in the region could be "an additional incubator for terrorism and organized crime," he stressed.

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