Nigeriens undaunted as deadline to reverse coup expires

Summary:

• Residents in Niger's capital show support for the military junta despite the threat of military intervention from IKOWAS.
• Defense chiefs of IKOWAS plan military action if President Bazoum is not released and reinstated.
• Italy reduces its troop presence in Niger to accommodate civilians in need of protection.
• France expresses support for regional efforts to overturn the coup, but the situation may be complicated by neighboring junta's pledges to defend Niger.
• Bazoum's Prime Minister believes a last-minute agreement is still possible for the ousted regime.

Residents in Niger's capital took over roundabouts and road intersections on the way to the presidential palace Saturday night into Sunday early hours. They were supporting the Niger military junta and undaunted by the threat of military intervention by West Africa's regional bloc, as its automaton for the country's coup leaders to instate the president expires.

Support for Military Junta

This demonstrator says he believes France is behind the economic community of West Africa, or IKOWAS, and want to attack the country. Another demonstrator says that, quote, the people of Niger have understood that these imperialists want our demise. The junta has said it will not cave in to external pressure to stand down. The July 26 power grab is the seventh coup in West and Central Africa in three years. It has rocked the Western Sahel region.

Military Action Planned

Defense chiefs of the IKOWAS agreed on military action, including when and where to strike, if the detained President Mohammed Bazoum was not released and reinstated by Sunday. IKOWAS did not respond to a request for comment on what its next steps would be or when exactly on Sunday its deadline expires. The bloc's military pledge has triggered fears of further conflict in a region already battling a deadly Islamist insurgency. Meanwhile, Italy said on Sunday it had reduced the number of troops it has in Niger to make room in its military base for civilians who may need protection. A military plane took off from Niamhe and landed in Rome late on Saturday, with 65 Italian soldiers as well as 10 US soldiers. According to the Italian Defense Ministry, Niger's former colonial power France said on Saturday it would support regional efforts to overturn the coup without specifying if that included military assistance. Any military intervention by IKOWAS could be complicated by a promise from junta's in neighboring Mali and Burkina Faso to come to Niger's defense if needed.

Hope for Last-Minute Agreement

Bazoum's Prime Minister Umadou Mamadou said on Saturday in Paris that the ousted regime still believed a last-minute agreement was possible.

The situation remains tense as the deadline for the reversal of the coup passes. The international community is closely watching the developments in Niger, and the region's stability hangs in the balance.