Burkina Faso and Mali’s military juntas have said that any forced attempt to reinstate President Mohamed Bazoum in neighbouring Niger will be interpreted as a declaration of war on them. This comes after ECOWAS threatened to “take all measures including force” if the president was not reinstated.
After being deposed last week, Mr Bazoum is being held by Niger’s coup leaders. In recent years, the region has seen many coups in response to an Islamist insurgency. Burkina Faso and Mali have cut connections with the West, particularly with former colonial power France, and have formed new alliances with Russia. Their warning is a dramatic turn of events that could exacerbate the precarious regional situation.
The joint statement comes as Chadian President Mahamat Idris Déby is conducting mediation efforts on behalf of the West African bloc Ecowas to address the conflict in Niger. Burkina Faso and Mali vowed in a joint statement that if Ecowas acted militarily, they would withdraw from the group and go to the support of their eastern neighbour. According to them, such an intervention would be terrible and destabilising.
