West African regional bloc ECOWAS has issued an ultimatum of one week to the military junta that seized power in Niger earlier this week, demanding the restoration of constitutional normality in the country.
In response, thousands of supporters of the military junta took to the streets of the capital, Niamey, waving Russian flags and denouncing former colonial power, France.
One Niamey resident, Omar Baomoussa, made a plea to the European Union, African Union, and ECOWAS to stay out of their business.
An emergency meeting was held in Abuja, Nigeria, where the regional bloc did not rule out the possibility of using force.
Colonel Major Amadou Abdramane, the spokesperson for the Niger coup leaders, responded with determination, stating that the objective of the meeting was to plan an imminent military intervention in Niamey, collaborating with certain African nations and non-ECOWAS Western countries. He reaffirmed their firm determination to defend their country.
The mutineers justified their actions by claiming that they overthrew President Mohamed Bazoum, who was democratically elected two years ago in Niger’s first peaceful transfer of power since independence from France, due to his failure to secure the nation from escalating jihadi violence
