Niger: Mali and Burkina Faso receive Niger’s authorization To Intervene In Case Of Aggression
Niger has agreed to allow the forces of Mali and Burkina Faso to intervene on its soil under the ECOWAS military intervention.
The President of the National Council for the Safeguarding of the Fatherland received in audience a ministerial delegation from Burkina Faso and Mali to consolidate in order to overcome the challenges.
Foreign Ministers of Burkina Faso and Mali Olivia Rouamba and Abdoulaye Diop traveled to Niger on Thursday, they were welcomed by Niger’s new strongman General Abdourahame Tiani.
They welcomed the signing of orders «authorizing the defense and security forces of Burkina Faso and Mali to intervene on Nigerien territory in the event of aggression», according to a press release read by Oumarou Ibrahim Sidi, the deputy secretary general of the Ministry of Foreign AffairsNigeriens, at the end of the visit.The announcement further clarified that Bamako and Ouagadougou viewed any intrusion into Niger as a «declaration of conflict» on their individual territories.
last Sunday,the new strongman in Niger said the country was open to dialogue to avoid conflict with ECOWAS. Neither the coup leaders nor «the people of Niger want war and remain open to dialoguehe» said.
Declaration of Conflict
The two countries had thus warned ECOWAS against any intervention in Niger, which would be assimilated to a «declaration of conflict», which they repeated on Thursday. General Tiani for his part assured on Saturday that such an armed operation would not be «not a simple stroll that some people think of».
When an ECOWAS delegation was in Niamey to find a peaceful solution to the crisis, General Tiani had announced a transition of «three years» maximum, before returning power to civilians. ECOWAS has found the plan proposed by the junta unacceptable, and demands, for its part, the reinstatement of President Mohamed Bazoum in his functions.
The two nations had in this way avoided ECOWAS of any action in Niger, which would be interpreted as a «declaration of conflict», a point they reiterated on Thursday. General Tiani, for his part, said on Saturday that such a military operation would not be «a simple ride that some people think of»
Ouedraogo
