00:00 The military junta is still resisting the pressure to negotiate.
00:04 On Tuesday, it denied entry to a joint delegation from African countries and the United Nations
00:09 and on Monday, resisted the overtures of the US acting Secretary of State, despite threats
00:14 to cut military assistance.
00:17 She didn't achieve any breakthroughs and it's not at all clear that they will choose the
00:21 diplomatic path forward.
00:22 She also made clear that there would be consequences if they didn't, that there are hundreds of
00:26 millions of dollars of US assistance at stake.
00:28 Proposed economic sanctions and border closures have yielded little so far.
00:33 And meanwhile, coup leaders are digging in.
00:36 They've begun to appoint a government and analysts say the roads to removing them are
00:40 narrowing.
00:41 West African countries will discuss their use of force at a second emergency ECOWAS
00:46 summit on Thursday.
00:47 But after the junta ignored their ultimatum on Sunday, a spokesperson for the Nigerian
00:52 president said the bloc was leaning towards a diplomatic solution.
00:56 "He, along with his colleagues in the bloc, would prefer a resolution that was obtained
01:05 through diplomatic means, through peaceful means rather than any other."
01:11 Former colonial power France, meanwhile, faced rising anti-French sentiment in the region
01:17 as its hands tied.
01:18 "France is already facing this allegation that they are the power behind the throne,
01:23 they are a neo-colonial influence in West Africa.
01:26 So they're unable to really do anything directly."
01:29 Mali and Burkina Faso, who are also ruled by military juntas and back Niger's armed
01:34 takeover, appealed in a joint letter to the United Nations to prevent any military intervention.
01:41 The two countries had previously vowed to come to Niger's defence if ECOWAS intervened,
01:46 saying they would consider that a declaration of war against them.
