Like individuals and communities, misunderstanding and distrust do happen also at the level of Government to Government (G2G) in international relations or politics for whatever reasons.
The current misunderstanding and distrust between Niamey and Abuja should be curtailed for mutual interest(s) as they both need each other in the context of Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) and Countering Terrorism (CT) in the Sahel region.
As sovereign entities, both Nigeria and Niger Republics however have the prerogative to determine their friends and or enemies in the ensuing geopolitics. The fact that Abuja and Paris are romancing at the level of G2G should not unsettle or unnerve Niamey in as much as the romance between her and Moscow should not upset Abuja.
For Nigeria foreign policymakers and those in the intelligence community, the necessity of proactive measures to manage real and or perceived implications of the specificity of renewed G2G relationship between Paris and Abuja remain imperative. Are there redlines?
Nonetheless, diplomacy is still much needed on all sides. For ECOWAS, the regional body should please deploy President Muhammadu Buhari and other elder statesmen to sustain existing engagements with the military junta(s) in Niamey, in particular, as well as in Bamako and Ouagadougou.
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For the junta in Niamey: Pragmatism is required above dogmatism. The cost of ongoing belligerence is too high for both sides but more for Niger republic than Nigeria. Online misinformation and disinformation will not profit either side. For African Union (AU), there is need to ensure that the continent remains a peace zone to achieve the expected benefits of the Africa Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) which may not be realizable with too much in-fighting amongst political leaders at the levels of G2G across several regions of the continent.
The next chairperson of AU Commission whose election is scheduled for February 2025 should prioritize settlement of disputes amongst the political leaders as a top issue on his/her agenda.
