In a resolute stance, amidst growing tensions, the governments of Burkina Faso and Mali have issued a stern warning against the employment of military force in Niger. This came in response to the recent coup that shook the nation. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) had previously threatened to take military action against Niger’s junta.-
The two Niger’s neighboring countries fear that such intervention could potentially escalate into a full-blown regional conflict in West Africa.
The warning was conveyed in a joint statement by the two countries which are both ruled by military-backed governments.
Burkina Faso and Mali in the statement read on their national broadcasts on Monday night to caution the West African leaders. They urged restraint and called for Niger to be left undisturbed, highlighting the potential “disastrous consequences” that any hasty actions may entail.
“The transitional governments of Burkina Faso and Mali express their fraternal solidarity … to the people of Niger, who have decided with full responsibility to take their destiny in hand and assume the fullness of their sovereignty before history,” the military governments of the two countries said.
“Any military intervention against Niger would be tantamount to a declaration of war against Burkina Faso and Mali,” they warned, adding that such a move could result in “disastrous consequences” that “could destabilize the entire region”.
The Burkinabe and Malian military authorities also said they “refuse to apply” the “illegal, illegitimate and inhumane sanctions against the people and authorities of Niger”.
Joining ranks with Burkina Faso and Mali, Guinea’s President Mamady Doumbouya – whose government was also the result of a coup – voiced his strong dissent against the sanctions proposed by ECOWAS, including the prospect of military intervention.
-Jesse Voyamba
