One week after President Mohamed Bazoum was deposed, the Niger Republic's new military administration reopened the nation's airspace and land borders.
The military junta declared on Tuesday night that the borders had been opened to Mali, Burkina Faso, Algeria, Libya, and Chad.
New governors were also chosen by the junta to lead the eight regions of the nation.
Although both Mali and Burkina Faso are part of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), both countries, which are ruled by the military, have sided with the organizers of the coup in Niger.
The Nigerian military leaders urged ECOWAS against making any additional operations because doing so would "jeopardize the spirit of Pan-Africanism."
They further stated that any military action taken against the nation would compel them to take "self-defence measures" in support of the "brotherly" Nigerian military and its citizens.
Mali and Burkina Faso also threatened to leave ECOWAS after being suspended for a while due to prior military coups.
Niger's tight borders with Benin and Nigeria continue to cause tensions with other ECOWAS members.
The head of ECOWAS, President Bola Tinubu, sharply denounced the coup in Niger and vowed to do everything in his power to restore democracy to the troubled West African nation as well as the entire region.
Recall that the regional grouping sent Benin's President Patrice Talon to Niger to assess the situation.
The democratically elected President Bazoum was imprisoned on Sunday, and ECOWAS gave the coup's organizers an ultimatum demanding his release and restoration.
In addition, the regional organization threatened harsh actions, including the use of force, if its demands were not satisfied within a week.
To debate the next steps, the organization convened a three-day summit in Nigeria on Wednesday.
While this is happening, a number of other nations, particularly France and Italy, have started removing their citizens and other nationals from Niger.
Other nations, such as the United States and Germany, as well as international bodies like the European Union (EU), have also halted financial assistance to the nation in protest of the coup.
The junta has, however, disregarded many appeals and penalties meant to persuade the military authorities to reinstall Bazoum.
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