Deadline in Niger passes

 

August 8, 2023

By Natasha Frost Writer, Briefings

Good morning. We’re covering upheaval in the Chinese military and the latest from the coup in Niger.

Supporters of the military gathered Sunday in Niger’s capital. Issifou Djibo/EPA, via Shutterstock

Deadline for coup leaders in Niger passes

Niger’s military junta had a hard deadline: Restore democracy — and reinstate the ousted president — by Sunday, or face military action from a bloc of other West African nations. Yet, as of Monday, the president has not returned to power, and there was no sign of a military intervention by neighbors.

The ultimatum seems to have rallied many Nigeriens behind their new military leaders. On Sunday, tens of thousands of defiant junta supporters thronged the largest stadium in the capital, Niamey, chanting the name of the military official who claims to be in charge, Gen. Abdourahmane Tchiani.

The mutineers who were holding the president, Mohamed Bazoum, said they would resist any effort to remove them from power, leaving Niger’s future — and that of its people — hanging in the balance. On Sunday, the country closed its airspace, citing the potential threat of outside military intervention.

Response: Most analysts said that a conflict appeared unlikely, at least in the near term. But other West African military officials said that they did have a plan for an intervention, if needed. “Democracy must be restored, through diplomacy or force,” Gen. Christopher Gwabin Musa, the Nigerian chief of defense staff, said.