Photo: Defence chiefs from some members of the West African bloc

The deadline for Niger’s coup leaders to step down and reinstate the elected president has now arrived.

On Friday, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) announced that its defense chiefs had formulated a plan for military action in case the junta, which has expressed resistance to outside pressure, did not comply by Sunday.

Ahead of the deadline, supporters of the coup, heeding the leaders’ call to be vigilant against foreign intervention and spies, joined security forces in the streets of Niger’s capital, Niamey, to provide security checks on vehicles for weapons.

Algeria and Chad, although not members of ECOWAS, countries with strong military presence in the region, have both stated their opposition to the use of force. In addition, neighboring Mali and Burkina Faso, governed by juntas, have warned that any military intervention would be considered a “declaration of war” against them as well.

Since the coup on July 26th, ECOWAS has taken a firm stance and granted the junta, led by General Abdourahmane Tchiani, a week to release and reinstate the elected President Mohamed Bazoum. Mr. Bazoum, who was elected two years ago in Niger’s first peaceful democratic transfer of power since gaining independence from France in 1960, claims to be a “hostage” and fears that the coup’s success would have grave consequences for the country, the region, and the world.

Niger, with its valuable uranium and oil reserves and its critical role in combating Islamist rebels in the Sahel region, holds strategic importance for the United States, China, Europe, and Russia.

The junta has sought assistance from the Russian mercenary group Wagner, known for its involvement in Mali and the Central African Republic while severing security ties with France. Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of Wagner, expressed his readiness to restore order in Niger. Russia, on the other hand, reiterated its call for a return to constitutional rule.

France declared its support on Saturday for efforts to overturn the coup but did not specify whether this entailed military assistance for an ECOWAS intervention. Meanwhile, Mr. Bazoum’s prime minister, Ouhoumoudou Mahamadou, stated that the ousted regime still believed a last-minute agreement was possible.

Source: With Agencies