Photo by STEFANO RELLANDINI / AFP via Getty ImagesReligious leaders and politicians in northern Nigeria have opened back-door channels in a frantic attempt to stave off military intervention in coup-stricken Niger. The crisis has sparked fears for ancient cultural, social and commercial links that bind southern Niger with seven border states in northern Nigeria — Katsina, Sokoto, Zamfara, Kebbi, Jigawa, Borno and Yobe. But visits by representatives from northern Nigeria have also helped swing the pendulum back towards diplomacy. But concern in northern Nigeria of a potentially catastrophic intervention is heaping pressure on him to exercise restraint. On 5 August, all 58 Nigerian senators across party lines from the north denounced planned military intervention in Niger, warning of dire consequences for seven border states.

Source: The Guardian August 18, 2023 15:25 UTC