military coup
Niger signs military pact with Burkina Faso and Mali
Supporters of the coup hold up a flag from Burkina Faso (l) and Niger. The two countries have signed a pact. photo
© Djibo Issifou/dpa
The junta in Niger forms an alliance with neighboring countries Burkina Faso and Mali. What does that mean exactly?
The junta in Niger, which has been in power since a military coup, has a military alliance with neighboring countries Burkina Faso and Mali closed. This was announced by the foreign ministers of the three countries after a joint meeting in Niger’s capital Niamey.
Accordingly, the countries want to act together against the terrorist groups active in the countries and secure their borders. However, the agreement allows Mali and Burkina Faso military assistance should there be a military intervention against the putschists in Niger. A similar agreement already exists between Burkina Faso and Mali, which are also run by military governments.
After the coup on July 26, the West African state organization Ecowas activated a stand-by force and threatened violence if the democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum was not reinstated and constitutional order restored. However, since the weekend there have been talks between Ecowas and the junta in Niger.
For years, the countries in the Sahel have been threatened by various terrorist militias, some of which have sworn allegiance to al-Qaeda or the Islamic State. Under Bazoum, Niger was one of the West’s last strategic partners in the fight against the advance of Islamist terrorists in the Sahel.