Current:Home > ContactNiger’s junta shuts airspace, accuses nations of plans to invade as regional deadline passes -DataFinance
Niger’s junta shuts airspace, accuses nations of plans to invade as regional deadline passes
View
Date:2025-04-19 02:07:01
NIAMEY, Niger (AP) — Niger’s mutinous soldiers closed the country’s airspace and accused foreign powers of preparing an attack, as the junta defied a deadline to restore the ousted president and said any attempt to fly over the country will be met with “an energetic and immediate response.”
Niger’s state television announced the move Sunday night, hours before West African regional bloc ECOWAS had demanded that the coup leaders reinstate President Mohamed Bazoum or face military force.
A spokesman for the coup leaders, Col. Maj. Amadou Abdramane, warned of “the threat of intervention being prepared in a neighbouring country” and said Niger’s airspace is closed until further notice. The junta asserted that two central African countries have joined preparations for an invasion, but did not say which ones, and called on the country’s population to defend it.
It was not immediately clear what ECOWAS will do now that the deadline has passed.
Thousands of people in Niger’s capital, Niamey, attended a stadium rally with coup leaders on Sunday.
Niger had been seen by the United States, France and other partners as their last major counterterrorism partner in the vast Sahel region, south of the Sahara Desert, where groups linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic Group state have been expanding their range.
The future of some 1,500 French military personnel and 1,100 U.S. military personnel in Niger is not immediately known, though the junta leaders have severed security arrangements with Paris.
veryGood! (2)
Related
- Appeals court scraps Nasdaq boardroom diversity rules in latest DEI setback
- Cook Inlet Gas Leak Remains Unmonitored as Danger to Marine Life Is Feared
- The glam makeovers of Pakistan's tractors show how much farmers cherish them
- Americans Increasingly Say Climate Change Is Happening Now
- NFL Week 15 picks straight up and against spread: Bills, Lions put No. 1 seed hopes on line
- Priscilla Presley and Riley Keough Settle Dispute Over Lisa Marie Presley's Estate
- Johnny Depp Arrives at Cannes Film Festival 2023 Amid Controversy
- Dolce Vita's Sale Section Will Have Your Wardrobe Vacation-Ready on a Budget
- Brianna LaPaglia Reveals The Meaning Behind Her "Chickenfry" Nickname
- Maryland Climate Ruling a Setback for Oil and Gas Industry
Ranking
- $73.5M beach replenishment project starts in January at Jersey Shore
- Is Trump’s USDA Ready to Address Climate Change? There are Hopeful Signs.
- George W. Bush's anti-HIV program is hailed as 'amazing' — and still crucial at 20
- Taylor Lautner “Praying” for John Mayer Ahead of Taylor Swift’s Speak Now Re-Release
- Sarah J. Maas books explained: How to read 'ACOTAR,' 'Throne of Glass' in order.
- DOJ report finds Minneapolis police use dangerous excessive force and discriminatory conduct
- Coastal Flooding Is Erasing Billions in Property Value as Sea Level Rises. That’s Bad News for Cities.
- 10 things to know about how social media affects teens' brains
Recommendation
Former longtime South Carolina congressman John Spratt dies at 82
For these virus-hunting scientists, the 'real gold' is what's in a mosquito's abdomen
A Bold Renewables Policy Lures Leading Solar Leasers to Maryland
Politicians say they'll stop fentanyl smugglers. Experts say new drug war won't work
Nearly half of US teens are online ‘constantly,’ Pew report finds
FDA authorizes the first at-home test for COVID-19 and the flu
Wisconsin’s Struggling Wind Sector Could Suffer Another Legislative Blow
Prince Harry Shared Fear Meghan Markle Would Have Same Fate As Princess Diana Months Before Car Chase