Russia has no plans to use its military in Niger, a top diplomat said Wednesday, countering widely held views on social media that Russia would side militarily with the coup plotters in the West African country.
“Russia opposes a military solution to the conflict, Russia has no plans to use its armed forces in Niger”, Russia’s Ambassador to Nigeria Alexei Shebarshin said in a comment the embassy shared with PREMIUM TIMES.
There have been claims that Russia will support Niger militarily should ECOWAS make true its threat to use force to reinstate the democratically elected government there.
The rumours were fuelled by statements of the coup plotters and similar coup plotters in other West African countries that they were jettisoning Western support for Russian support.
Also, scores of Nigeriens who marched in support of the coup burnt French flags and raised Russian flags, creating an impression Russia was behind the coup plotters.
In his statement, Mr Shebarshin advised Niger to solve its problems independently and constitutionally, without any resort to force or threat to use it.