Niger’s military leaders announced shutting down the country’s airspace following ECOWAS’s threat of military intervention from France and other African neighboring countries.
The leaders of the coup were given one week by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) on Sunday to free and reinstall the nation’s democratically elected President, Mohamed Bazoum.
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The military declared it would “take all necessary measures to restore constitutional order,” including employing force if the junta remained in power. After Bazoum was ousted by the military on July 26, the presidential guard’s commander, Gen. Abdourahmane Tchiani, proclaimed himself the new leader.
International organizations and governments have denounced the military takeover, including the United Nations, the United States, former colonial power France, and the rest of the European Union.
The ECOWAS defense chiefs have met within the week in Nigeria to formulate plans for a coordinated response to the coup and to discuss the possibility of a last-resort military intervention.
A group from the ECOWAS headed to Niamey, the capital of Niger, to meet with the military coup leaders on Thursday. On state television a few hours later, the junta issued a warning that any military action would be greeted with “an immediate and unannounced response by Niger’s defense and security forces”.
Thousands of the coup leaders’ supporters marched on Sunday at a stadium in Niamey, as they appear unwilling to give up control.
Burkina Faso and Mali, two of Niger’s neighbors and strategic supporters during these times, previously issued a warning that they would regard any foreign military intervention in Niger as “a declaration of war” against them.