A man proudly carries a Niger flag as he heads to a stadium rally in Niamey, Niger, on Sunday. Thousands of pro-junta supporters convened in the stadium to express their solidarity with the military coup, disregarding the Economic Community of West African States’ ultimatum to release and reinstate the democratically elected President, Mohamed Bazoum. Photo by Issifou Djibo/EPA-EFE
Aug. 7 (UPI) — The military coup leadership in Niger has taken the drastic measure of indefinitely closing its airspace, defying the deadline imposed by West African nations, who had threatened to use force if the country’s democratically elected president was not freed and reinstated.
Last month, Niger fell victim to a coup orchestrated by the National Council for the Safeguarding of the Homeland, prompting widespread condemnation of the coup and the detention of President Mohamed Bazoum, who won the democratic election.
A week ago, the Economic Community of West African States, consisting of 15 member countries including Niger, announced punitive actions against the coup leaders. They warned that if Bazoum was not restored as the country’s leader within seven days, they would take “all necessary measures” to restore constitutional order, potentially employing military intervention.
As the deadline approached on Sunday, the coup leaders issued a televised statement declaring the closure of Niger’s airspace “until further notice.” The decision was made due to the perceived threat of foreign military intervention, as reported by the Nigerien Press Agency.
Moreover, the coup leaders emphasized that any unauthorized entry into national airspace would be swiftly and energetically met with a response.
In a separate statement, the coup leadership, led by Col. Major Amadou Abdramane, revealed that two Central African nations have prepared forces for possible deployment against Niger. The press agency reported that the National Council for the Safeguarding of the Homeland is closely monitoring these preparations.
Denial of responsibility! VigourTimes is an automatic aggregator of Global media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, and all materials to their authors. For any complaint, please reach us at – [email protected]. We will take necessary action within 24 hours.
