Guinea, Burkina Faso, and Mali have all issued warnings against military action in Niger. Burkina Faso and Mali, Niger’s coup-stricken neighbors, have said that any military action against Niamey would be viewed as a “declaration of war” against their countries.
Days after West African officials vowed to use force to restore overthrown Niger President Mohamed Bazoum, the two nations—which are both governed by regimes with strong military backing—issued the warning in joint remarks read out on their national stations.
The people of #Niger have resolved with full responsibility to take their fate in hand and accept the fullness of their sovereignty before history, and the transitional governments of #BurkinaFaso and #Mali have expressed their fraternal sympathy with them.
They cautioned that any military action against Niger would be equivalent to declaring war on Burkina Faso and Mali, saying that such an action may have “disastrous consequences” and “could destabilize the entire region.”
As part of their statement, the two neighbors said that they “refuse to apply” the “illegal, illegitimate, and inhumane #sanctions against the people and authorities of Niger.”
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The July 26 coup in Niger Republic
The July 26 coup in Niger has rocked West Africa and pitted the nation’s previous Western friends and regional organizations against other military rulers in the area.
The architects of the Niger’s coup, who have appointed General Abdourahamane Tchiani, the former commander of the presidential guard, as the nation’s new leader, said they deposed President Bazoum due to his poor leadership and because of his handling of security threats from organizations affiliated with al-Qaeda and ISIS (ISIL).
The African Union, ECOWAS, the United States, the United Nations, the European Union, and other nations immediately condemned the power grab, which is the eighth military coup in West and Central Africa in less than three years.