Niger closes airspace, refuses to reinstate ousted president

(Patria) - Niger on Sunday closed its airspace indefinitely, citing the threat of military intervention from the West African regional bloc after coup leaders rejected a deadline for the return of the country's ousted president, Reuters reported.

Earlier, thousands of junta supporters flocked to a stadium in Niamey, the capital, cheering a decision not to buckle under external pressure.

The coup, the seventh in West and Central Africa in three years, has shaken the Sahel region, one of the world's poorest. Given its uranium and oil wealth and its key role in the fight against Islamist militants, Niger is important to the US, Europe, China, and Russia.

The defence chiefs of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) have agreed on a plan for military action if President Mohamed Bazoum is not released and reinstated.

"Faced with the threat of an intervention that is becoming increasingly obvious... Niger's airspace is closed from today," a junta representative said on Sunday evening.

He said there had been prior deployment of forces in two Central African countries in preparation for intervention, but did not provide details.

"The armed forces of Niger and all our defence and security forces, supported by the continuous
support of our people, are ready to defend the integrity of our territory," he added.
Any military intervention could be complicated by the promise of juntas in neighbouring Mali and Burkina Faso to defend Niger if necessary.

Bazoum's Prime Minister Ouhoumoudou Mahamadou said in Paris on Saturday that the ousted regime still believed a last-minute deal was possible.

Italy said on Sunday it had reduced the number of its soldiers in Niger to make room at its military base for Italian civilians if security deteriorates.