Burkina Faso and Mali have condemned the ECOWAS sanctions imposed on the Niamey junta.
On Monday, the military governments of Mali and Burkina Faso issued their first joint declaration, warning the West and other African states against intervening in neighbouring Niger. According to Bamako and Ouagadougou, any such move would be viewed as an attack on their respective countries.
“Any military intervention against Niger would amount to a declaration of war against Burkina Faso and Mali,” read point four of the joint communique, which a Burkinabe military spokesman purposefully repeated three times on state television.
In the event of an intervention, the two nations would leave the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and “adopt self-defense measures in support of the armed forces and people of Niger,” according to the statement.
A military involvement in Niger “could destabilise the entire region, as had the unilateral NATO intervention in Libya, which was at the root of the expansion of terrorism in the Sahel and West Africa,” the two governments warned.
According to the Financial Times, France presently has 1,500 troops and a drone base in Niger, while the US has 1,100 troops and two drone bases.
Last Wednesday, Nigerien soldiers commanded by General Abdourahamane Tchiani deposed President Mohamed Bazoum. On Friday, the African Union condemned the coup and told the Niamey junta 15 days to step down or face “punitive measures.”
At an emergency summit in Abuja, Nigeria, ECOWAS issued its own ultimatum on Sunday, saying it would “take all measures necessary to restore constitutional order in the Republic of Niger,” including the use of force, if Bazoum was not restored within a week.
Mali and Burkina Faso called the penalties announced by ECOWAS on Saturday “illegal, illegitimate, and inhumane.” They also expressed “fraternal solidarity” with the Nigerien people, “who have decided to take their destiny into their own hands and to assume before history the fullness of their sovereignty,” according to their joint communique.
With Russian backing, the military governments of the two former French colonies have moved to sever connections with Paris and rebuild their nation. However, Moscow has condemned the coup in Niger as a “anti-constitutional act,” and the Russian Foreign Ministry has urged all sides not to use force.
To the delight of some locals, General Tchiani’s government stated on Sunday that it would ban the sale of uranium and gold to France.
“How come we have uranium, diamonds, gold, and oil, but we live like slaves?” “We don’t need the French to keep us safe,” a pro-government activist told Wazobia Reporters.
Niger is the world’s seventh-largest uranium producer, accounting for 4% of global output. A French corporation owns over two-thirds of the country’s output.
