The leader of Niger's military junta made his first public appearance on Friday, a day after toppling President Mamadou Tandja in a coup, but made no mention of any timetable to elections. Troops who seized power and captured Tandja on Thursday in the coup that left three dead set up what they called the Supreme Council for the Restoration of Democracy. But junta leader Salou Djibo promised only to begin discussions soon with ministry officials on setting priorities. “For the moment we are at a starting point, and we will create a consultative body,” Djibo told a news conference. The coup drew international condemnation. In Addis Ababa, the African Union called for the people of Niger to be allowed to elect the leader they wanted. “Niger is suspended from all activities of the AU. Meanwhile we will continue with the process of helping them return to constitutional order,” said Mull Sebujja Katende, who chairs the AU peace and security council. Markets, banks and schools in Niger's capital opened as usual with only a few soldiers on the streets and those lightly armed, witnesses said. The coup followed months of heightened tensions over Tandja's constitutional reform in 2009 that extended his rule and broadened his powers, and residents said the coup had provided some hope for change. “I hope the soldiers restore some order... clean up the political environment,” said taxi driver Moussa Issa. “We need to start from scratch, without being compromised by the current political class which has been discredited over the last 20 years.” Tandja was in detention and in “very good condition”, the junta said. Most of the members of his cabinet have been released, though their work was being done by their secretary generals. Former colonial power France joined criticism of the coup. “France advises all parties in Niger, including the armed forces, to find a solution to the constitutional crisis via dialogue as soon as possible,” a French spokesman said. US State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley repeated US calls for the swift return of democracy to Niger, but stopped short of labelling the situation there a coup. “We're very closely monitoring the situation. I'm not sure we're ready to make any kind of declarations yet,” Crowley told a news briefing.
