Millitary junta warn President Tinubu over coup

 The military junta in Niger has sounded a note of warning to West African leaders meeting in Abuja, the Nigerian capital against military intervention in the country's ongoing coup.

The ECOWAS headed by Nigeria's President, Bola Tinubu has issued a one-week ultimatum to the coup plotters in the Niger Republic to release detained President Bazoum.

West African leaders met in the Nigerian capital Abuja on Sunday July 30, for an emergency summit on Niger, where a military coup took place earlier this week.

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The leaders of the 15-nation Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) are mulling over the suspension of Niger from its institutions, cut off the country from the regional central bank and financial market, and close borders.

 France and the European Union have already suspended financial aid and security cooperation with Niger, with the United States promising to do same. 

The head of the powerful presidential guard, General Abdourahamane Tchiani, on Friday declared himself the leader Niger after the country's elected president Mohamed Bazoum has been held by the military for four days.

"ECOWAS and the international community would do everything to defend democracy and ensure democratic governance continues to take firm root in the region," president of Nigeria and ECOWAS chairman, Bola Tinubu, said in a statement on Friday.

In their reaction on a televised statement on Saturday night, July 29, the Niger's military leaders warned against any such military intervention by ECOWAS, noting that soldiers would ready to defend their homeland.

"The objective of the (ECOWAS) meeting is to approve a plan of aggression against Niger through an imminent military intervention in Niamey in collaboration with other African countries that are non-members of ECOWAS, and certain western countries," junta spokesperson Colonel Amadou Abdramane said.

"We want to once more remind ECOWAS or any other adventurer, of our firm determination to defend our homeland," he added.

The millitary junta in another statement called on citizens in capital Niamey to come out into the streets Sunday from 7 a.m. local time (8 a.m. CET) to demonstrate against ECOWAS to show support for the new military leadership.

The World Bank says Niger, one of the world's poorest countries, receives nearly $2 billion (€1.8 billion) a year in official development assistance.