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The democratically elected government of Mohamed Bazoum was overthrown in a coup in neighboring Niger last week. Nigerian President Bola Tinubu has written to the Senate of his nation requesting support for a regional military intervention in Niger.
According to local newspaper The Cable, Tinubu asked "military buildup and deployment of personnel for military intervention to enforce compliance of the military junta in Niger should they remain recalcitrant".
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), whose rotating leadership is presently held by regional superpower Nigeria, sanctioned Niger and on Sunday offered the putschists a week to restore Bazoum to office or risk potential army intervention.
The 15-member ECOWAS has sanctioned Niger by closing its borders and cutting off all financial and business links to the nation. A Monday bond sale by Niger in the amount of 30 billion CFA francs (about $51 million) was canceled by the Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO).
Additionally, ECOWAS sent a delegation to Niger, led by former Nigerian president Abdulsalami Abubakar, to talk with the insurgent forces. However, the crew did not get to see the coup leader General Abdourahamane Tchiani before departing.
Tchiani has also stated that he will not give in to pressure to reinstall Bazoum. He slammed the sanctions as "illegal" and "inhumane" and urged his countrymen to prepare to protect their land.
Over the past two years, ECOWAS has fought to prevent a decline in democracy in West Africa. Mali, Burkina Faso, and Guinea, as well as an attempt at a coup in Guinea-Bissau, have all seen military takeovers.
Tinubu is eager to establish his power in a region known as the "coup belt," despite the fact that he has yet to choose ministries for foreign affairs and defense despite presenting a list of 48 nominees to the legislature.
Furthermore, Nigeria is slated to serve as the commander of any intervention force in Niger. Nigeria has the largest armed forces in the region and has already sent the most number of troops to earlier regional peacekeeping missions.
The July 26 coup has also drawn harsh criticism from Western nations. Many of them believed that Niger was the Sahel's final trustworthy ally in the fight against armed organizations associated to al-Qaeda and ISIL (ISIS).
In spite of the fact that Niger is one of the world's poorest countries and that nearly half of its annual budget comes from aid, several Western countries have likewise reduced aid.