The airspace over Niger has been declared accessible once again for commercial and civil aviation.
On August 6, the military junta in Niamey shut off air travel over the nation, citing “a threat of military invasion” from nearby nations. This came after the regional bloc ECOWAS’ leaders threatened to use force in the wake of the coup that toppled President Mohammed Bazoum on July 26.
The decision to open the airspace however does not apply to military flights and other special flights which are subject to “authorisation from the competent authorities”, Niger says.
However, flights to the country may still be restricted due to economic sanctions imposed by ECOWAS.
If the deposed president of Niger, Mohamed Bazoum, who is currently under house arrest, is not reinstalled, ECOWAS has threatened to use force to restore constitutional order.
General Abdourahamane Tchiani, the commander of the elite Presidential Guard responsible for the coup, instead chose himself as the new leader and established a caretaker administration that will last “no longer than three years.”
One of the last democratic allies of the United States and Europe in the region known as the “coup belt” that surrounds it was Niger, a Sahel nation with over 26 million inhabitants and one of the poorest populations in the entire world.
According to officials, the EU is hard at work in Brussels planning sanctions against Niger’s putschists that will target key junta figures.
Sanctions from the EU may also be imposed on organisations that assist the new military rulers.