Niger’s rebel leaders have closed the country’s airspace until further notice, citing the threat of military intervention by their neighbors.
Flight tracking website Flightradar24 is showing that there are currently no aircraft in the skies over Niger.
Ecowas, a group of West African nations, had previously warned it could use force if President Mohamed Bazoum was not reinstated by 23:00 GMT on Sunday.
A spokesman for the junta says that Niger’s armed forces are ready to defend the country.
Mr. Bazoum was detained on July 26, and the commander of the presidential guards, General Abdurrahman Tachyani, later declared himself the new leader.
The military occupation has been condemned internationally, including by former colonial power France and the rest of the European Union, as well as the United Nations and the United States.
Reading a statement on national television on Sunday, a Niger government representative said he had information that “a foreign power” was preparing to attack Niger.
After a crisis meeting in Nigeria, AKWAS military chiefs said on Friday they had drawn up a detailed plan for the possible use of force.
“All the elements that will go into any eventual intervention have been worked out, including the resources required, how and when we are going to deploy the force,” said Equas Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, Abdul Fataw Musa. “
And he added: “We want diplomacy to work, and we want the message to get across clearly to them that we are giving them every opportunity to reverse what they have done. Give it.”
He issued his ultimatum a week ago, demanding the generals step down by midnight local time, which has now passed.
Ecowas is a regional trading bloc of 15 West African countries including Nigeria, Senegal, Togo and Ghana.
The rebel leader appears to be showing no signs of relinquishing power, and on Sunday thousands of his supporters protested at a stadium in Niger’s capital, Niamey.
Two of Niger’s neighbors – Burkina Faso and Mali – have previously warned that they would view any external military intervention in Niger as a “declaration of war” against them. Burkina Faso and Mali are both members of ECOWAS but have been suspended from the bloc since military junta rule.
Niger is a major producer of uranium – a fuel essential for nuclear power – and under Mr Bazoom was a key Western ally in the fight against Islamist militants in the Sahel region of West Africa.
