ROME, August 22. /TASS/. Hassoumi Massaoudou, Niger’s exiled Minister of Foreign Affairs, said on Tuesday he could see no alternative to solve the situation in his country where rebels came to power and ousted President Mohamed Bazoum in late July other than a military intervention.

According to him, the rebels "closed the door to any attempt to negotiate by addressing the nation to say that [the head of the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland, that was established by the rebels, General Abdourahmane] Tchiani declared a three-year transition period shortly before a visit by ECOWAS officials." "This is why there is no alternative to a military solution that remains the only option to save Niger and ensure stability in the region. I’d call a military operation interference by police, rather than a war on Niger," he said in an interview with La Repubblica. "That would be a very quick military operation to combat the coup, the rebels," he added, as he maintained that "Niger’s Army will not protect" the rebels.

The Nigerien foreign minister who is also acting head of Bazoum’s government, said the president and his family were currently "surviving hardship". "For several weeks now, they have been living without electricity in the scorching heat and amid mosquitoes: all the three of them caught malaria in recent days. Sometimes, the military halts water supply," Massaoudou told the Italian daily. "They are living a very hard life, but they don’t give up and keep their spirits high," he said.

In late July, a group of military rebels in Niger announced the removal of President Bazoum. They then established the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland (known as CNSP for its French name: Conseil national pour la sauvegarde de la patrie), headed by General Tchiani, to run the country. The ECOWAS leaders imposed severe sanctions on the rebels, demanded that Bazoum be released and threatened to use force.

On August 10, upon returning from the ECOWAS summit, Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara said that the leaders of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) agreed to launch a military operation in Niger as soon as possible. The CNSP ordered the Nigerien army on high alert amid ECOWAS’ statements on its readiness to launch an intervention.

ECOWAS commissioner for political affairs Abdel-Fatau Musah said after a meeting of the bloc’s military chiefs in Ghana on August 18 that the exact date for the intervention in Niger had been determined, but it is yet to be officially announced.