President urges mutineers to rejoin their units

Niger President Mamadou Tandja urged mutineers on Tuesday to "rejoin their respective units without delay in the interest of peace and calm in our country". Tanja assured the mutineers, in an address to the nation broadcast on radio and television that the state would ensure full respect of the country's laws and regulations in dealing with the mutiny they began six days ago. Soldiers in eastern Niger mutinied on Wednesday to press demands for salary increases, better living conditions in barracks and the payment of overdue allowances. They took control of the garrison in the town of Diffa, 1500 km east of the capital Niamey, and two other garrisons, in N'Guigmi and N'Gourti, 130km and 250 km east of Diffa respectively. The mutineers took six civilian and military officials hostage. On Saturday, loyal troops regained control of Diffa, which the mutineers vacated, withdrawing to the other garrisons. Between Sunday night and Monday morning, another group of soldiers made an unsuccessful attempt to take over three garrisons in Niamey. "Nothing can explain, much less render acceptable, these senseless acts whose secret aim is to jeopardise the political and economic stability of our country," Tandja said. He said he could not sit idly by while Niger's democracy was being jeopardised, adding that he had instructed the government to conduct an immediate investigation into the mutinies, whose real motives, he said, were yet to be clarified. "That means exemplary sanctions will be taken against all those whose direct or indirect responsibility for these events will have been established," Tandja said. Missions would soon be sent to the interior of the country to inform people of the implications of such acts on Niger's socio-economic life and its relations with the rest of the world, he disclosed. Tandja however called on the media to show a greater sense of responsibility in processing and disseminating information. On Monday, he signed a decree banning "the propagation by any communication media of information or allegations that could jeopardise national defence operations". Any media house that violated the ban would be suspended or temporarily closed, according to the decree. "Freedom of the press, to which we remain profoundly attached, could never justify certain abuses that could undermine the very foundations of the republic," Tandja said on Tuesday. A mediation committee made up of notables from the town of N'Guigmi, has been negotiating with the mutineers to resolve the crisis. On Sunday the mediators obtained the release of two civilian hostages: the prefect of Diffa Region and the chief of N'Guigmi canton. Niamey was calm on Tuesday. No unrest was also reported from the hinterland.