Coup-hit Niger’s neighbours, Burkina Faso and Mali, have warned that any military intervention against Niamey would be considered a “declaration of war” against their nations.
They’ve also threatened to withdraw their ECOWAS membership and rise up in support of Niger’s military government should the West African bloc invade the country.
The two countries where soldiers had recently ceased power expressed their support for the military takeover of power in Niger earlier this month in a joint statement on Monday, vowing to “lend a hand to the people of Niger” to f#ght invaders. Berating ECOWAS and its leaders, Mali and Burkina Faso accused ECOWAS of hypocrisy
The two neighbours also said they “refuse to apply” the “illegal, illegitimate and inhumane sanctions against the people and authorities of Niger”.
The coup in Niger on July 26 has sent shockwaves across West Africa, pitting the country’s former Western allies and regional bodies against other military leaders in the region.
