The West African bloc Ecowas will meet on Thursday to discuss the coup in Niger, as cracks appeared in its unity and the military junta in Niamey refused to cave in to international pressure to stand down. Shortly before the deadline, coup leaders closed Niger’s airspace until further notice, citing the threat of military intervention. He said there had been a pre-deployment of forces in two central African countries in preparation for an intervention, but did not give details. The coup leaders warned any attempt to violate Niger’s airspace would face “an energetic and instant response”. Last week Niger revoked military cooperation agreements with France, which has between 1,000 and 1,500 troops in the country.

Source: The North Africa Journal August 07, 2023 16:15 UTC