Algeria foreign minister visits Ecowas nations to resolve Niger crisis

Algeria Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf on Wednesday began a tour of the West African nations of Nigeria, Benin and Ghana, to help find a way out of the Niger crisis.

Minister Ahmed Attaf, "mandated by President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, begins today (Wednesday) working visits to Nigeria, Benin and Ghana", Algeria’s foreign ministry announced on its X (ex-Twitter) account.

He will hold "consultations on the crisis in Niger and ways of dealing with it" with his counterparts in these countries "which belong to the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas)", the ministry said.

The aim is to contribute "to a political solution that will spare this country and the entire region the repercussions of a possible escalation of the situation".

Algerian diplomacy has a long history of mediating or attempting to resolve numerous international conflicts.

President Tebboune said on August 6 that he "categorically rejects any external military intervention" in Niger, which he described as "a direct threat to Algeria".

There will be "no solution without us. We are the first concerned", he added, during an interview broadcast on national television.

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