Senior US diplomat says Niger coup leaders refused her to meet with president

A senior US diplomat said coup leaders in Niger refused to allow her to meet on Monday with the West African countrys democratically elected president whom she described as under virtual house arrest Undersecretary of State Victoria Nuland also described the mutinous officers as unreceptive to US pressure to return the country to civilian ruleThey were quite firm about how they want to proceed and it is not in support of the constitution of Niger Nuland told reporters She spoke after a twohour meeting in Nigers capital Niamey with some leaders of the military takeover in Niger a vital counterterrorism partner of the United StatesNuland said that in speaking to junta leaders she made absolutely clear the kinds of support that we will legally have to cut off if democracy is not restored She said she also stressed US concern for the welfare of President Mohamed Bazoum who she said was being detained with his wife and son The meeting was with Gen Moussa Salaou Barmou a UStrained officer and three of the colonels involved in the takeover The coups top leader former presidential guard head Abdourahamane Tiani did not meet with the AmericansIn other developments Monday leaders of West Africas regional bloc said they would meet later this week to discuss next steps after the junta defied a deadline to reinstate the president while its mutinous soldiers closed the countrys airspace and accused foreign powers of preparing an attack The meeting was scheduled for Thursday in Abuja the capital of neighboring Nigeria according to a spokesman for the ECOWAS blocState television reported the juntas latest actions Sunday night hours before the deadline set by ECOWAS which has warned of using military force if the democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum is not returned to power A spokesman for the coup leaders Col Maj Amadou Abdramane noted the threat of intervention being prepared in a neighboring country and said Nigers airspace will be closed until further notice Any attempt to fly over the country will be met with an energetic and immediate responseThe junta also claimed that two central African countries were preparing for an invasion but did not name them It called on Nigers population to defend the nation The coup toppled Bazoum whose ascendency was Nigers first peaceful democratic transfer of power since independence from France in 1960 The coup also raised questions about the future of the fight against extremism in Africas Sahel region where Russia and Western countries have vied for influenceInternational airlines have begun to divert flights around Niger which the United States and others had seen as the last major counterterrorism partner in the Sahel south of the Sahara Desert where groups linked to alQaida and the Islamic State group are expanding their influence Also Monday Mali said it and Burkina Faso both neighbors of Niger run by military juntas were sending delegations to Niger to show support Both countries have said they would consider any intervention in Niger as a declaration of war against them The Associated Press saw several security officers from Burkina Faso at a hotel in Nigers capitalRegional tensions have mounted since Nigers coup nearly two weeks ago when mutinous soldiers detained Bazoum and installed Gen Abdourahmane Tchiani former head of the presidential guard as head of state Analysts believe the coup was triggered by a power struggle between Tchiani and the president who was about to fire him It was not immediately clear what ECOWAS leaders will do now The region is divided on a course of action There was no sign of military forces gathering at Nigers border with Nigeria the likely entry point by landNigerias Senate has pushed back on the plan to invade urging Nigerias president the blocs current chair to explore options other than the use of force ECOWAS can still move ahead as final decisions are made by consensus by member states Guinea and neighboring Algeria which is not an ECOWAS member have come out against the use of force Senegals government has said it would participate in a military operation if it went ahead and Ivory Coast has expressed support for the blocs efforts to restore constitutional orderThe junta does not appear interested in negotiation An ECOWAS delegation sent to Niger last week for hours of talks was not allowed to leave the airport and met only with Tchianis representatives The junta has also asked for help from the Russian mercenary group Wagner according to Wassim Nasr a journalist and senior research fellow at the Soufan CenterHowever Nuland indicated that coup leaders did not seem receptive to welcoming Wagner mercenaries into the country as has happened with several surrounding unstable West African countriesI will say that I got the sense from my meetings today that the people who have taken the action here understand very well the risks to their sovereignty when Wagner is invited Nuland saidThe junta is exploiting antiFrench sentiments to shore up its support base and has severed security ties with France which still has 1500 military personnel in Niger for counterterrorism efforts On Monday Frances Ministry of Foreign Affairs formally discouraged any travel to Niger Burkina Faso or Mali and called on French nationals to be extremely vigilant France has suspended almost 500 euros 550 million in aid to Burkina FasoIts not clear what will happen to the French military presence or to the 1100 US military personnel also in Niger Many people largely youth have rallied around the junta taking to the streets at night to patrol after being urged to guard against foreign intervention While they jihadists kill our brothers and sisters ECOWAS didnt intervene Is it now that they will intervene said Amadou Boukari a coup supporter at Sundays rally Shame on ECOWASThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever