The military in Niger that seized power from President Mohamed Bazoum closed the country’s airspace on Monday, August 7, after the ECOWAS deadline elapsed on Sunday midnight.
Accordingly, the military termed the regional bloc’s ultimatum as a threat of intervention from foreign powers.
The West African Bloc threatened military intervention on Niger, demanding immediate release and reinstatement of Bazoum.
Moreover, the military detained Bazoum on July 26, and Gen Abdourahmane Tchiani, commander of the presidential guard, later declared himself as the new Niger leader.
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This comes after a wave of coups and military takeovers in west African countries.
Former colonial power of Niger, France also condemned the move including international originations, the United Nations, European Union, and the United States.
In a statement on Sunday, Niger’s Junta through a spokesperson read that they had information of a threat of an attack by a ”Foreign Power”
“In the face of the threat of intervention that is becoming more apparent … Nigerien airspace is closed effective from today,” the representative said.
He however said that they are ready for any attack on Niger and were ready to defend.
“Niger’s armed forces and all our defense and security forces, backed by the unfailing support of our people, are ready to defend the integrity of our territory,” the representative said.
ECOWAS stance on Niger
ECOWAS on its part said they have had a crisis meeting and are consolidating military as they exploit a possibility of using force to reinstate President Bazoum and bring back constitutional order.
“All the elements that will go into any eventual intervention have been worked out here, including the resources needed, the how and when we are going deploy the force,” said Abdel-Fatau Musah, the Ecowas commissioner for political affairs, peace, and security.
“We want diplomacy to work, and we want this message clearly transmitted to them [Niger’s junta] that we are giving them every opportunity to reverse what they have done,” he added.
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Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is a trading bloc consisting of 15 West African countries including Nigeria, Senegal, Togo, and Ghana.
The Niger representative said there is prior deployment of forces in two central African countries in preparation for an attack but did not disclose names of the countries.
“Niger’s armed forces and all our defense and security forces, backed by the unfailing support of our people, are ready to defend the integrity of our territory,” the representative said.
