The European Union has launched preparations for the first batch of sanctions targeting the Niger military leaders who took power in the West African country, the press has reported.
An official of the bloc, involved in hammering out the restrictive measures, revealed to the media that the criteria for these sanctions would include "undermining of democracy" in Niger and should be agreed upon soon.
"The next step would be sanctions against individual members of the military," said the EU diplomat.
On July 30, in response to the coup in Niger, ECOWAS suspended all financial aid, froze the rebels' assets and imposed a ban on commercial flights to and from the country, as well as closed all borders. Nigeria, Niger's southern neighbor, cut electricity supply to the nation.
ECOWAS gave the coup leaders one week to reinstate ousted Nigerien President Mohamed Bazoum and restore order, hinting that otherwise it would resort to military intervention. Its ultimatum expired on Sunday.
However, the Russian Foreign Ministry questioned the effectiveness of ECOWAS' actions. Alexey Zaitsev, the MFA's Deputy Director of the Information and Press Department, noted that ECOWAS military intervention "is unlikely to contribute both to achieving lasting peace in Niger and to stabilizing the situation in the subregion as a whole."
The Niger coup transpired on July 26, when Bazoum was ousted and detained by his own guard, led by Gen. Abdourahmane Tchiani. The caretaker National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland closed the country's borders and broke security agreements with France, its former colonizer.