The coup leaders in Niger have shut down the country’s airspace until further notice, citing the prospect of military intervention from neighbouring countries.
According to the flight tracking website Flightradar24, there are presently no aircraft in Niger’s sky.
ECOWAS, the West African group of countries, has previously threatened to use force if President Mohamed Bazoum was not reinstalled by Sunday at 23:00 GMT.
According to a junta spokesperson, Niger’s military forces are ready to protect the country.
On July 26, Mr. Bazoum was arrested, and Gen Abdourahmane Tchiani, chief of the presidential guard, declared himself the new leader.
The military takeover has been denounced globally, especially by France and the rest of the European Union, as well as the United Nations and the United States.
On national television on Sunday, a spokesperson from Niger’s junta stated they received evidence that “a foreign power” was planning an attack on the country.
Following a crisis conference in Nigeria, Ecowas military commanders said on Friday that they had developed a precise strategy for the use of force.
“All the elements that will go into any eventual intervention have been worked out here, including the resources needed, the how and when we are going deploy the force,” said Abdel-Fatau Musah, Ecowas commissioner for political affairs, peace, and security.
And he added: “We want diplomacy to work, and we want this message clearly transmitted to them [Niger’s junta] that we are giving them every opportunity to reverse what they have done”.
They issued an ultimatum a week ago, asking that the generals hand up command by midnight local time, which has already passed.
Ecowas is a West African commercial bloc comprised of 15 nations, including Nigeria, Senegal, Togo, and Ghana.
The coup leaders appear unwilling to give control, and hundreds of their followers marched boldly on Sunday at a stadium in Niger’s capital, Niamey.
Burkina Faso and Mali, two of Niger’s neighbours, have previously warned that any outside military action in Niger would be considered a “declaration of war” against them. Burkina Faso and Mali are both members of the Ecowas but have been suspended from the organisation since being controlled by military juntas.
Niger is a major producer of uranium, a fuel vital for nuclear power, and was a crucial Western partner in the war against Islamist extremists in West Africa’s Sahel area under Mr Bazoum.
