Niger's junta accuses United Nations chief of blocking its participation at General Assembly

autotldr Bot , 9 months ago

This is the best summary I could come up with:

---

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — The military government that seized power in Niger has accused United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres of “obstructing” the West African nation’s full participation at the U.N.'s annual meeting of world leaders in order to appease France, Niger’s former colonizer, and its allies.

The decision to not allow the junta’s envoy to speak at the U.N. General Assembly in New York could “undermine any effort to end the crisis in our country,” Col. Maj. Amadou Abdramane, a spokesman for the officers who deposed Nigerien President Mohamed Bazoum in a July coup, said late Friday.

The junta had wanted Niger’s former ambassador to the United Nations, Bakary Yaou Sangare, who was made foreign minister after the coup, to speak on its behalf at the General Assembly.

However, Bakary did not receive credentials to attend after the deposed Nigerien government’s foreign minister sent the world body a letter “informing of the end of functions of Mr. Bakary as permanent representative of Niger to the United Nations,” Stéphane Dujarric, Guterres’ spokesperson, said.

The junta spokesman accused the former minister, Hassoumi Massoudou, of “high treason” and alleged that Guterres’ only interest was “keeping with the determination of France and the European Union to punish Niger and its people at all costs for their patriotic choice.” Abdramane also accused the West African regional bloc ECOWAS of interference.

The junta appointed civilians to serve as prime minister and in some other posts as part of a transitional government that it said may remain in place for up to three years, but ECOWAS and foreign powers such as France still recognize Bazoum as Niger’s rightful leader.

---

The original article contains 378 words, the summary contains 272 words. Saved 28%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!