As a military junta in Niger marked two weeks in power Wednesday, its leaders are appointing a government and rejecting calls for negotiation in what analysts described as an attempt to entrench their power and show that they're serious about governing the West Africa country in the face of an escalating regional crisis.
The junta has named a new prime minister and made a slew of other new cabinet appointments. They also refused to admit meditation teams that planned to come Tuesday from the United Nations, the African Union, and West African regional bloc ECOWAS, citing “evident reasons of security in this atmosphere of menace," according to a letter seen by The Associated Press.
