The leaders of the coup in Niger have barred United Nations agencies, non-governmental organizations, and international entities from operating within military “operation zones.”
The Interior Ministry disclosed this information on Thursday,
The coup, which led to the removal of President Mohamed Bazoum on July 26, was orchestrated by Abdourahamane Tchiani, the former commander of Niger’s presidential guard.
Leaders within the ECOWAS bloc have expressed their commitment to finding a peaceful resolution to the crisis and have ordered the activation of an ECOWAS standby force to reinstate constitutional order in Niger.
World leaders have also denounced the coup attempt by members of the presidential guard against Bazoum.
Although the affected regions were not specified, a statement from the ministry, broadcast on national radio, cited the “current security situation and operational commitments of the Nigerien armed forces” as reasons for temporarily suspending all activities and movements of international organizations, national and international NGOs, and UN agencies in the operation zones.
In the meantime, the junta has announced the resumption of domestic flights and the restoration of some state institutions, including the Constitutional Court. However, land and air borders remain closed, as reported by Reuters.
On Thursday, a Reuters reporter observed long queues of trucks, cars, and motorbikes at the border between Gabon and southern Cameroon, with some people even hanging lines of laundry between vehicles at the Kye-Ossi crossing.
