ALBAWABA - As the leaders of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) prepare to meet in Nigeria's capital Abuja to address the situation in Niger, the country's military junta warns against any external meddling in the country's internal affairs.
The military junta released a statement urging civilians to march to the streets in the capital to oppose ECOWAS and show support for new military leaders.
As the ECOWAS and West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA) leaders hold the authority to suspend Niger's membership in both organizations, exclude Niger from the regional central bank and the financial market, and close the borders.
The West African leaders could also for the first time, consider a military intervention to restore President Mohamed Bazoum who was ousted when General Abdourahamane Tiani was declared the new head of state on Friday, Reuters reported.
In a statement released Saturday night, spokesman Colonel Amadou Abdramane said: "The objective of the (ECOWAS) meeting is to approve a plan of aggression against Niger through an imminent military intervention in Niamey in collaboration with other African countries that are non-members of ECOWAS, and certain western countries,".
According to the World Bank, Niger receives close to $2 billion in official development assistance annually, as it is Considered one of the poorest countries in the world, and it is used as a base by France and the United States to combat an Islamist insurgency in West and Central Africa's larger Sahel region.
However, the European Union and France have announced suspending their financial aid to Niger, and the US has threatened to do the same. The African Union released a statement on Friday following an emergency meeting, requesting that the troops return to their barracks and constitutional order be restored within 15 days. It didn't explain what would happen next.
