Niger is awaiting a response from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) today, Monday, after the coup leaders in Niamey ignored the group’s ultimatum to reinstate ousted President Mohamed Bazoum, or face potential military intervention.
ECOWAS spokesperson, Emos Longo, announced to Reuters that the regional bloc will hold a summit in the Nigerian capital Abuja on Thursday to discuss the Niger coup.
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani stated in an interview published today that ECOWAS should extend the deadline it set for Niger to return the ousted president to office. Tajani told La Stampa, “The only way is diplomacy. I hope that today the ECOWAS deadline, which ended at midnight, will be extended.” He added, “President Bazoum should indeed be released, but we cannot do that. The United States is very cautious about this and it is unimaginable that it will begin military intervention in Niger.”
The German Ministry of Defense spokesperson in Berlin remarked that “each day that the country’s aircraft cannot fly in Niger’s airspace is a setback for the armed forces.”
The Malian army stated today that both countries are sending delegations to Niamey to express their support. Flight tracking website Flight Radar 24 showed that a military plane from Burkina Faso arrived in Niamey around 11:20 GMT coming from Ouagadougou.
Niger closed its airspace yesterday, Sunday, until further notice, citing the threat of military intervention from ECOWAS, after the coup leaders ignored a deadline set by the group to restore the ousted president to his position.
A representative of the military council stated in an announcement broadcasted on national television last night that "In response to a threat of intervention that has become clearer, Niger's airspace is closed from today." He noted that "There is pre-deployment of forces in two Central African countries in preparation for intervention," but did not provide further details. He added, “The Niger armed forces and all our defenses and security forces, with the steadfast support of our people, are ready to defend our territorial integrity.”
Thousands of supporters of the military council gathered at a sports stadium in the capital Niamey yesterday to express their support for the decision not to yield to external pressures and retreat from the coup, which took place after the military council took power on July 26.
Around a hundred individuals organized a sit-in near an air base in Niamey, pledging to resist if necessary to support the new military administration, but without resorting to violence. Retiree Amadou Adamu stated, "The people of Niger have understood that these imperialists want our demise. God willing, the suffering will be theirs."
Senior defense officials from ECOWAS agreed on July 30 to take military action, including determining a date and place for intervention, if the detained Nigerien President Mohamed Bazoum was not released and restored to office by yesterday.
Escalating tensions with ECOWAS could worsen the unrest in one of the world’s poorest regions, which is grappling with a hunger crisis and struggling to end violence that has claimed thousands of lives and displaced millions. Given Niger’s wealth of uranium and oil and its critical role in combating violence from Islamist militants, the country is also important to the United States, Europe, China, and Russia.
The European Union announced today that it still believes there is room for mediation in Niger ahead of an urgent summit of regional leaders later this week, following the military council's takeover last month. An EU spokesperson stated via email, “The EU still believes that there is potential for mediation until Thursday when the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) holds another extraordinary summit concerning the situation in Niger.”
