Members of a military council that staged a coup in Niger attend a rally at a stadium in Niamey, Niger, August 6, 2023
Mon 07 August 2023:
Niger’s coup leaders has threatened a “vigorous and instantaneous response” to any violation of the country’s airspace.
Coup leaders have closed the country’s airspace after rejecting an ultimatum from West African states to reinstate deposed President Mohamed Bazoum or risk military intervention.
The move, announced late on Sunday, came as tens of thousands of coup supporters gathered at a stadium in Niger’s capital, Niamey, to cheer on the generals who seized power – or the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland (CNSP).
“Faced with the threat of intervention which is becoming clearer from neighboring countries, Niger’s airspace is closed from this day on Sunday… until further notice,” the military government announced.
The statement, as cited by AFP, warned that “any attempt to violate the airspace” will result in a “vigorous and instantaneous response.”
Amadou Abdramane, a spokesman for the CNSP, cited the threat of military intervention from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) for the airspace closure.
In a statement read out on national television, Abdramane said there had been a pre-deployment of forces in two Central African countries in preparation for intervention, but did not give details.
“In the face of the threat of intervention, which is becoming clearer through the preparation of neighbouring countries, Niger’s airspace is closed from this day on Sunday … for all aircraft until further notice,” he said.
“Niger’s armed forces and all our defence and security forces, backed by the unfailing support of our people, are ready to defend the integrity of our territory,” he added.
The coup leaders enjoy considerable public support and are backed by the governments of Mali and Burkina Faso, both of whose governments seized power in a recent wave of anti-French unrest. Both countries have promised to treat any ECOWAS incursion as a declaration of war against them.
The junta has also allegedly asked Russia’s Wagner private military company for assistance, but neither the Kremlin nor the Wagner Group have commented on the claims.
The coup in Niger on July 26 is the seventh in West and Central Africa in three years. It has rocked Africa’s Sahel region, which is battling armed groups linked to al-Qaeda and ISIL (ISIS) and is among one of the poorest areas in the world.
NIGERIA’S TINUBU SEEKS SENATE SUPPORT FOR ECOWAS INTERVENTION IN NIGER
The wider international community also appears divided on the issue of intervention.
France – Niger’s former colonial ruler, which has about 1,500 soldiers in the country – said it would “firmly” back whatever course of action ECOWAS takes after the deadline expired. But it did not specify if that included military assistance.
Russia, on the other hand, has opposed military intervention in Niger, while the head of its Wagner mercenary group has offered the services of his fighters to the country. Niger’s coup leaders have reportedly sought help from Wagner, which has become an influential force in Mali since the coup there in 2021 and has a longer-standing presence in the Central African Republic as well as Libya.
In Niamey, meanwhile, huge crowds flocked to a 30,000-seat stadium, carrying portraits of the country’s military leaders and booing former colonial power France.
The venue was draped in Russian flags.
SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES
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