Due to the coup leaders’ rejection of a deadline for the restoration of the country’s deposed president, Niger on Sunday shut down its airspace until further notice. The reason given was the fear of military involvement from the West African regional bloc.
Niger closes airspace: Prior to that, tens of thousands of junta sympathisers came to a stadium in Niamey, the country’s capital, to applaud the group’s resolve to resist external pressure to resign by the deadline set after its July 26 power grab.
The coup has shaken the Sahel, one of the world’s poorest regions, marking the sixth such incident in West and Central Africa over the past three years.
Niger has contributed significantly to Western measures to counter jihadist insurgencies that have plagued the Sahel since 2012 in addition to its wealth in uranium and oil.
If the arrested president, Mohamed Bazoum, is not freed and reinstated by the deadline, defence chiefs of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) have agreed on a potential military action plan, including when and where to strike.
On Sunday night, a junta representative announced on national television that they had shut down the Nigerien airspace due to the increasing apparent threat of intervention.
“He stated that forces had been pre-deployed in two nations in Central Africa, anticipating a military operation, without providing further information.”
He said, “Niger’s armed forces, together with all our defense and security forces, are ready to safeguard the integrity of our territory, with the unwavering support of our people.”
“ECOWAS’s Upcoming Actions and Unanswered Queries Amid Looming Military Threats”
No one answered a request for comment about ECOWAS’s upcoming actions and the exact time on Sunday when its deadline would expire. Earlier, a spokesperson had indicated that they would release a statement by the end of the day.
The military threat from the alliance has sparked worries about escalating hostilities in a region already waging a brutal Islamist insurgency that has claimed thousands of lives and driven millions of people from their homes.
The threat from juntas in neighbouring Mali and Burkina Faso to defend Niger if necessary might complicate any military action.
Ouhoumoudou Mahamadou, the prime minister of Bazoum, stated on Saturday in Paris that the deposed administration continued to hold out hope for a last-minute settlement.