West African leaders gathered on Thursday for a vital summit assembly to handle the disaster in Niger, the place the mutinous troopers who seized energy greater than two weeks in the past have shunned mediation efforts and ignored an ultimatum to relinquish energy.

Hopes for an finish to the stalemate had been already dim earlier than the junta on Thursday changed the cupboard of the ousted president, Mohamed Bazoum, with a brand new authorities, made up of 21 officers led by Ali Lamine Zeine, an economist and former finance minister.

As the navy junta strengthened its grip on energy, envoys from the Economic Community of West African States, the 15-nation regional bloc often called ECOWAS that had threatened navy intervention if Mr. Bazoum was not reinstated, convened in Nigeria, however their choices seemed to be restricted.

The deadline to return Mr. Bazoum to energy handed on Sunday, with few penalties thus far, and the prospect of a navy intervention to take away the brand new authorities seemed to be unlikely, in line with most observers.

The persevering with disaster has been humbling for a number of powers lively in West Africa, together with the United States, which has bases and troops within the nation however no present ambassador; France, the previous colonizer, which has confronted growing resentment over its presence in the region; and Nigeria, Niger’s large neighbor to the south, whose new chief, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, had vowed weeks before the coup that leaders within the area would not tolerate unconstitutional energy grabs.

Despite widespread condemnation within the West and from most West African international locations, many Nigeriens have welcomed the navy takeover, which they see as a welcome change after what they are saying was greater than a decade of corruption underneath Mr. Bazoum and his predecessor, Mahamadou Issoufou.

In the capital, Niamey, a whole bunch of Nigerien civilians have stood guard at visitors circles at evening, vowing to defend the generals in energy towards a international infiltration.

Until mutineers detained him on July 26, Mr. Bazoum had maintained a detailed safety partnership with Western allies just like the United States and European international locations, whereas shopping for drones from Turkey and creating a pipeline venture with China’s nationwide oil firm.

Whether that fragile safety structure can survive underneath the rule of the brand new generals in energy, in a area tormented by frequent navy takeovers and roaming Islamist insurgencies, together with in Niger, is unclear.

The United States and France, two key safety companions who’ve about 2,500 troops mixed in Niger, have suspended their navy help and known as for the reinstatement of Mr. Bazoum.

But thus far, mediation makes an attempt led by Western international locations and West Africa’s bloc have stalled.

Twice, the mutinous leaders have refused to satisfy envoys from the West African bloc. And Victoria Nuland, the performing U.S. deputy secretary of state, was denied a meeting with the junta’s leader or Mr. Bazoum when she made a shock journey to Niger on Monday.

On Wednesday, a Nigerian spiritual determine, Khalifa Muhammad Sanusi, the emir of Kano, grew to become one of many few mediators who has been allowed to satisfy the junta’s chief, Gen. Abdourahmane Tchiani. Details of the encounter weren’t made public.

Mr. Bazoum has remained stranded in his personal residence together with his spouse and one in all his sons, who’s in his early 20s, for greater than two weeks. The household doesn’t have electrical energy or operating water, and the junta has failed to offer meals, in line with a pal and adviser to the president who requested anonymity to debate his scenario. The pal stated the household was residing on reserves.

António Guterres, the secretary normal of the United Nations, stated on Wednesday that he was very involved about “the deplorable living conditions” for Mr. Bazoum and his household. He known as for his or her rapid launch, together with that of a number of authorities officers who’ve been in custody because the mutineers eliminated the president from energy on July 26.

Observers have urged that one method the heads of state will contemplate shall be to impose extra monetary sanctions on Niger, a landlocked nation of 25 million that is likely one of the world’s poorest and depends closely on its coastal neighbors for imports. Nigeria, which provides most of Niger’s electrical energy, reduce off energy final week.

The West African leaders are additionally more likely to push for the discharge of Mr. Bazoum, stated Ebenezer Obadare, a senior fellow for Africa research on the Council on Foreign Relations.

Many in Niamey have stated they don’t need Mr. Bazoum again in energy. Omar Salifou, a music trade consultant, stood guard at a visitors circle there on Wednesday night, as he had on earlier nights.

Amid automobiles honking and pushing by the crowds on the rain-soaked highway, some younger folks may very well be heard shouting, in a video he despatched to The New York Times, “Down with ECOWAS.”

Farnaz Fassihi contributed reporting from New York.