Niger junta’s 3-year transition plan is a ‘provocation,’ says West African regional bloc

By SAM MEDNICK
Associated Press

NIAMEY, Niger (AP) — The West African bloc ECOWAS has rejected the proposal by Niger’s mutinous soldiers for a three-year transition to democratic rule, with a commissioner describing the slow timeline as a provocation. A commissioner interviewed by The Associated Press said the bloc remained open to diplomacy but was not going to engage in drawn-out talks with Niger’s junta that lead nowhere. His comments came days after an ECOWAS delegation met the head of Niger’s military regime for the first time since it took power. ECOWAS has threatened military force if the democratically elected president is not reinstated, but the junta has dug in.