A joint mission of United Nations and African officials have met with those
responsible for last week's coup d'état in Niger as they visited the
capital, Niamey, to assess the situation on the ground.
Participating in yesterday's visit were the Special Representative of the
Secretary-General for West Africa, Said Djinnit, as well as representatives
of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the African
Union (AU).
"The mission met with the junta leaders who reaffirmed their commitment to
organize elections and return the country to constitutional order," UN
spokesperson Martin Nesirky told reporters in New York.
He added that the UN is working closely with its partners, including ECOWAS
and the AU, as part of its joint efforts to help resolve the crisis in the
country which began when renegade soldiers reportedly stormed the
presidential palace on Thursday with the stated aim of returning Niger to
democracy.
On Friday, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon condemned the coup and appealed for
"calm and for the respect of the rule of law and of the human rights of all
Nigeriens." In addition, he stressed the UN stands ready to support
initiatives aimed at peacefully resolving Niger's political and
constitutional crisis.
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