Niger Junta to Allow In Malian and Burkinabe Troops to Face ECOWAS Force

The coup leader in Niger, general Abdourahamane Tchiani, has signed an order allowing the fellow military governments of Mali and Burkina Faso to send their troops into his country to help defend against an attack.

The announcement was made after the foreign ministers of Burkina Faso, Olivia Rouamba, and Mali, Abdoulaye Diop, visited General Tchiani in Niamey on Thursday.

The West African Regional Bloc ECOWAS has threatened to use force to reinstate the democratically elected president of Niger, Mohamed Bazoum, who was deposed by a group of army officers last month.

It’s been trying to negotiate with the coup leaders but has warned it’s ready to send troops if diplomacy fails.

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The main West African bloc ECOWAS has been trying to negotiate with the coup leaders but warned it is ready to send troops into Niger to restore constitutional order if diplomatic efforts fail.
Any escalation risks further destabilizing the insurgency-torn region as Niger’s junta-led neighbors, Mali and Burkina Faso, have said they would back Niger in any conflict with ECOWAS.
On Thursday, the three allies’ foreign ministers said they had met in the Nigerian capital Niamey to discuss boosting cooperation on security and other joint issues.
The statement said the ministers welcomed the signing on Thursday by Niger junta leader General Abdourahamane Tiani of two orders “authorizing the Defense and Security Forces of Burkina Faso and Mali to intervene on Nigerian territory in the event of an attack.”
“The Burkinabe and Malian Ministers … reiterated their rejection of an armed intervention against the people of Niger which will be considered as a declaration of war,” it said.