Headline Roundup • August 7th, 2023
Niger Coup Leaders Close Airspace Ahead of Potential Conflict
Summary from the AllSides News Team
Niger’s coup leaders closed the country’s airspace on Sunday after failing to meet a deadline from neighboring countries to reinstate the democratically elected president.
For Context: ECOWAS, a regional group of 15 West African countries including Niger, gave the military junta until Sunday to reinstate ousted President Mohamed Bazoum or risk intervention. On Friday, ECOWAS leaders said they had a plan to oust Niger’s coup leaders by force. However, the former head of the presidential guard, General Abdourahamane Tchiani, named himself president and appointed military insiders to government positions on Saturday.
Key Quote: “In the face of the threat of intervention that is becoming more apparent,” a representative for Niger’s military junta said, “Nigerian airspace is closed effective from today.”
How the Media Covered It: Coverage was common, particularly from internationally focused outlets, most of which AllSides rates as Lean Left or Center. While most outlets referred to the coup leaders as a “military junta,” a Daily Caller (Right bias) headline called them “American-trained warlords.”
Featured Coverage of this Story
REUTERS
Niger's coup leaders have closed the country's airspace until further notice, citing the threat of military intervention from their neighbours.
It comes after the Ecowas group of West African states demanded President Mohamed Bazoum be reinstated by Sunday.
Ecowas had warned that the junta could face military action and will now meet on Thursday to discuss next steps.
Meanwhile Mali and Burkina Faso, both also ruled by juntas, said they would send officials to Niger in solidarity.
Flightradar24 showed a transport plane had flown from Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso,...
KOLA SULAIMON/AFP via Getty Images
West Africa is on the brink of armed conflict as a regional security bloc must decide whether to intervene against the junta leaders in Niger, at least one of whom previously trained under Department of Defense (DOD) programs.
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), a Nigeria-led economic and security group, set a Sunday ultimatum for the military officers who seized control of Niger in July to restore the ousted president under threat of force, according to Reuters. But the deadline passed without a change in Nigerien leadership, and the ruling elements of Niger’s security...
Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg
Airlines were forced to divert some flights after Niger restricted its airspace on Sunday night, making it more difficult for planes to fly across parts of Africa.
British Airways was one of the carriers affected by Niger’s partial closure of airspace, with at least five flights to and from its London hubs diverting — including services from Nairobi, Cape Town and flights to and from Johannesburg. Air France, KLM and Deutsche Lufthansa AG also saw services diverted or delayed.
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