On Tuesday, Niger's ruling military junta announced on national television that 21 Nigerien soldiers were killed in an ambush near the country's border with Burkina Faso by an unidentified "terrorist group." The statement did not identify the perpetrators of the attack.
A US official said Niger's ruling junta has asked some 1,000 American military personnel to leave the country amid differences with Washington over some issues. Niger was a crucial partner of the US in the fight against Islamic terrorism in West Africa till the coup in July last year.
France had refused an order from the Niger's junta regime for its ambassador Sylvain Itte to leave the country, saying that it does not recognise the authority of the coup leaders.
The military administration in Niger gave a 48-hour deadline to French Ambassador to Niger Sylvain Itte to leave the country, which he defied.
The announcement gave no precise details on the allegations nor the circumstances or date of a trial.
It was not immediately clear on Sunday what ECOWAS would do next. Thousands of people at Sunday’s rally in Niger’s capital, Niamey, cheered the coup leaders’ appearance and expressed defiance against both the ECOWAS threat and France’s long presence in the region.
Denouncing the violent attack, French President Emmanuel Macron's office, in a statement, said, "The President will not tolerate any attack against France and its interests". The office mentioned that it would respond to attacks against French diplomats, armed forces or businesses.
The French and American governments have voiced their concerns and encouraged conservatives to turn the other way. Bazoum's government has made Niger one of the West's main partners against the Islamic insurgency in Africa's Sahel region.
Col Maj Amadou Abdramane, with nine other formally dressed fighters behind him, said on Wednesday, "We, the protection and security powers... have chosen to stop the system you know."
It is worth mentioning Niger is a landlocked West African nation and had experienced four coup attempts since its independence from France in 1960. The state is one of the most unstable nations in the world.
Niamey, Niger: Suspected Boko Haram fighters in motorized canoes attacked a Niger army base on an island in Lake Chad, the body of water touching all four countries that have been targeted by Nigeria's Islamic
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