Niger is a partner of the US and France and helped to counter jihadi violence linked to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group that has killed thousands and displaced millions of people.

The AP report disclosed that a Western military official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation, said representatives of the junta told the U.S. Under Secretary of State Victoria Nuland of the threat to Bazoum during her visit to the country this week.

A U.S. official reportedly confirmed that account, also speaking on condition of anonymity, because they were not authorised to speak to the media.

After a meeting of nine leaders from the 15-member West African bloc on Thursday in Abuja, President of the ECOWAS Commission, Omar Alieu Touray, said he could only reaffirm the decisions by “the military authorities in the subregion to deploy a standby force of the community.”

He blamed the junta for any hardship caused by the sanctions imposed on Niger and said further actions by the bloc would be taken jointly.

“It is not one country against another country. The community has instruments to which all members have subscribed to,” he said.

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