Niger’s mutinous troopers have closed the nation’s airspace and accused overseas powers of making ready an assault, because the junta defied a deadline to revive the ousted president.

Military officers mentioned any try to fly over the nation can be met with “an energetic and immediate response”.

Niger’s state tv introduced the transfer on Sunday evening, hours earlier than West African regional bloc Ecowas had demanded that the coup leaders reinstate President Mohamed Bazoum or face army power.

A spokesman for the coup leaders, Col Maj Amadou Abdramane, warned over “the threat of intervention being prepared in a neighbouring country” and mentioned Niger’s airspace is closed till additional discover.

It just isn’t instantly clear what Ecowas will do now that the deadline has handed.

Thousands of individuals in Niger’s capital, Niamey, attended a stadium rally with coup leaders on Sunday.

Niger had been seen by the United States, France and different companions as their final main counter-terrorism companion within the huge Sahel area, south of the Sahara Desert, the place teams linked to al-Qaida and the so-called Islamic Group state have been increasing their vary.

The way forward for some 1,500 French army personnel and 1,100 US army personnel in Niger just isn’t instantly recognized, although the junta leaders have severed safety preparations with Paris.