On the other side, Mali and Burkina Faso have offered to help Niger defend themselves from any potential military actions.
It appears that the coup is popular in Niger, at least in the capital of Niamey, where there have been large scale demonstrations in support of the coup, or least against the French presence in the country.
This has the potential to get very ugly very quickly:
Niger closed its airspace on Sunday until further notice, citing the threat of military intervention from a regional bloc after coup leaders rejected a deadline to reinstate the country’s ousted president.
“In the face of the threat of intervention that is becoming more apparent … Nigerien airspace is closed effective from today,” a junta representative said in a statement on national television on Sunday evening.
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.
“Niger’s armed forces and all our defence and security forces, backed by the unfailing support of our people, are ready to defend the integrity of our territory,” the representative said.
Defence chiefs of the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) have agreed a possible military action plan, including when and where to strike, if Bazoum was not released and reinstated by the Sunday deadline.
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Earlier, thousands of junta supporters flocked to a stadium in Niamey, the capital, cheering the decision not to stand down by Sunday following the power grab on 26 July that toppled democratically elected president Mohamed Bazoum.
The coup, the seventh in west and central Africa in three years, has rocked the Sahel region, one of the poorest in the world. Given its uranium and oil riches and its pivotal role in a war with Islamist militants, Niger holds great importance for the US, Europe, China and Russia.
Niger last week revoked military cooperation agreements with France, which has between 1,000 and 1,500 troops in the country.
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Any military intervention could be complicated by a promise from juntas in neighbouring Mali and Burkina Faso to come to Niger’s defence if needed, saying any military intervention against the new military rulers in Niger would be regarded as a “declaration of war”. France announced on Sunday that it was suspending development aid and budgetary assistance to Burkina Faso.
I'm not sure how much of this is the result of the various insurgencies in the region, how much is the result of military dissatisfaction with the deposed President, and how much is the result of France's continued semi-colonial involvement in many nations in Africa.
What I am sure of is that if there is a military intervention, and it isn't a cakewalk, the endgame will be chaotic and dangerous.
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