The self-declared new leader of Niger said on Wednesday that the junta would not submit to pressure to reinstate ousted President Mohamed Bazoum, escalating a standoff with the West African bloc that has threatened to intervene since last week’s coup.
If the coup leaders do not reinstate Bazoum’s presidency within a week of last Sunday, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has imposed sanctions on Niger and stated it could authorize the use of force.
In an effort to reach a diplomatic settlement before having to decide whether or not to intervene, the bloc also dispatched a delegation to Niger on Wednesday to speak with the military officials who took control of the country.
read more: Any military intervention in Niger will lead to war: Burkina Faso
The junta “rejects these sanctions completely and refuses to yield to any threats, wherever they may come from,” Abdourahamane Tiani declared in a televised speech. We reject interfering with Niger’s internal affairs in any way.”
After military takeovers in member states Mali, Burkina Faso, and Guinea, as well as a failed coup in Guinea-Bissau in the previous two years, ECOWAS has struggled to stop a democratic backslide in West Africa and has vowed that coups will no longer be tolerated.
According to Abdel-Fatau Musah, the ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace, and Security, “The military option is the absolute last option on the table, the last resort, but we have to prepare for the eventuality.”
As the two-day meeting of regional defense chiefs got underway in the Nigerian capital Abuja earlier on Wednesday, he told reporters, “There is a need to demonstrate that we can demonstrate that we can not only bark but can bite.”
A Niger state utility document on Wednesday revealed that Nigeria had stopped supplying power to Niger, and border closures had left truckers stranded in Niamey. These were the first effects of the bloc’s broad sanctions, which Tiani referred to as “illegal, unjust, and inhumane.”
Last Wednesday, Tiani, the former commander of Bazoum’s presidential guard, locked Bazoum inside his palace and then proclaimed himself the nation’s head of state.
The 15-nation regional bloc has adopted its toughest stance on the coup to date, leading the junta-ruled countries of Mali and Burkina Faso to declare that any military intervention in Niger would be viewed as a declaration of war against them as well.
According to Nigeria’s Chief of Defense and Chairman of the ECOWAS Defense Chiefs, General Christopher Musa, “the task of restoring democratic governance in Niger is fraught with potential hurdles and complications.”
At the meeting in Abuja, he declared, “Our decisions will send a strong message about our commitment to democracy, our intolerance for unconstitutional changes of government, and our dedication to regional stability.”
Foreign governments have denounced the coup because it does not severs their interest.
After meeting with Bola Tinubu, the president of Nigeria, on Wednesday, British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said, “The UK very much welcomes ECOWAS’ actions and they are indeed decisive actions with a strong commitment to democracy.”
The World Bank on Wednesday halted payments to Niger until further notice as a further indication of the growing pressure on the junta.
Even though the mission is still open and senior leadership is still working there, the US announced that it was planning to evacuate some staff members and their families from its embassy in Niger.
Amid growing conflict fears, France and Italy have been evacuating Europeans from Niger. On Wednesday, the first military aircraft carrying people from Europe touched down in Paris and Rome.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock stated that “yesterday and today, with the help of our French friends, we were able to fly more than 40 Germans out of Niger” and that there would be additional flights.
She added, “It is also with this same unity and determination that we, as the European Union, support international efforts to restore constitutional order in Niger.
Over 350 citizens of France, according to France, have been evacuated so far.
Italy, Germany, France, and the United States all have troops in Niger.
So far, there hasn’t been any announcement of a troop withdrawal. The safety of German soldiers was not a concern, according to Germany’s defense minister on Wednesday.
The radioactive metal uranium, which is used to create nuclear energy and treat cancer, is seventh in the world’s uranium production.
This week, the European Union declared that it had enough natural uranium in stock to offset any immediate supply risks.
