Supporters of the Nigerien defense and security forces attack the headquarters of the Nigerien Party for Democracy and Socialism in Niamey, Niger, July 27, 2023. (Photo: AFP)

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has imposed sanctions on Niger and said it could authorise the use of force if the coup leaders do not restore Bazoum’s presidency within a week from last Sunday.  The bloc also sent a delegation to Niger on Wednesday to negotiate with the military officers who seized power, hoping to find a diplomatic solution before they have to decide whether or not to intervene. 

In a televised address, Abdourahamane Tiani said the junta “rejects these sanctions altogether and refuses to give into any threats, wherever they come from”. ECOWAS has vowed that coups will no longer be tolerated after military takeovers in member states Mali, Burkina Faso and Guinea and an attempted coup in Guinea-Bissau in the last two years. “The military option is the very last option on the table, the last resort, but we have to prepare for the eventuality,” said Abdel-Fatau Musah, ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security.