Threats of military action from the regional alliance against Niger

If the Niamey junta does not resign, West African nations have pledged to intervene.

If the leaders of the recent coup in Niger do not reinstate the ousted government and free the ousted president, Mohamed Bazoum, a bloc of West African governments has threatened to use force against them.

Following an emergency meeting conducted on Sunday in Abuja, Nigeria, the 15-nation Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) issued the seven-day ultimatum to one of its own members. The group stated in the communiqué that it will “take all measures necessary to restore constitutional order in the Republic of Niger” if the demands were not met within a week.

ECOWAS stated that “Such measures may include the use of force,” adding that the chiefs of staff for the members are prepared to convene right away if required.

On Friday, the African Union gave Niger’s military junta a similar deadline and threatened “punitive measures” if it didn’t step down within that time frame.

Colonel Major Amadou Abdramane, a spokesman for the coup leaders in Niger, claimed that ECOWAS was “planning an aggression against Niger” and reaffirmed the commitment of the new government to “defend the country.”

On Sunday, pro-coup demonstrators protested in Niamey, the nation’s capital, where they burned the French Embassy’s front door and insulted France, the country’s former colonial power.

The week before last, President Bazoum was jailed and then impeached. In an appearance on television on Friday, General Abdourahamane Tiani, who has been in charge of the Nigerien presidential guard since 2011, proclaimed himself to be the next president of the nation.

Both the African Union and the UN Security Council spoke out against the coup. One of the world’s poorest nations, Niger, has lost all financial assistance from the EU, and the US has threatened to do the same.

Moscow criticised the coup, calling it a “anti-constitutional act.” The use of force has been forbidden, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry.

After the country’s then-president Yahya Jammeh refused to resign after losing an election, ECOWAS dispatched soldiers to Gambia in January 2017. Little resistance was offered during the intervention, which led to Jammeh’s exile.