“It Would Be A ‘Declaration Of War”, Burkina Faso, Mali Warn Tinubu, Others Against Intervention In Niger
BURKINA FASO and Mali have warned that any intervention in the neighbouring Niger Republic would be considered a “declaration of war” against their two countries, a signal of support for leaders of the recent coup there
They’ve also threatened to withdraw their Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) membership and rise in support of Niger’s military government should the West African bloc invade the country.
The two countries, where soldiers had recently seized power, expressed their support for the military takeover of power in the Niger Republic earlier this month in a joint statement on Monday, vowing to “lend a hand to the people of Niger” to fight invaders.
Berating ECOWAS and its leaders, Mali and Burkina Faso accused ECOWAS of hypocrisy.
This comes after Niger accused France of plotting military intervention to reinstate the deposed president, Mohamed Bazoum. As well as a joint meeting with (ECWAS), and The West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) who met on 30 July in Abuja to discuss the unfolding situation in Niger.
Both Burkina Faso and Mali underwent military coups in recent years. Interim president Colonel Assimi Goïta came to power in 2021. Since then, he has ushered in a new era of relationships between Mali and international powers. In 2022 Goïta requested that France pull all their remaining troops from the country. More recently, they removed French as one of their official languages and downgraded it to a working/business language.
Captain Ibrahim Traore was appointed as president of Burkina Faso in 2022. Following in Niger’s footsteps the country has also recently banned exporting Uranium, an essential mineral used to conduct electricity, to France and the US.
Both Goïta and Traore’s support of Niger is yet another example of the evolving political and social climate of many African countries. As countries continue to work towards self-sufficiency this could continue to have a long-lasting impact on allyship and the idea of governance in Africa. While some see these military governments as a “setback for democracy”, others see this as a way for Africa to push back against Western imperialism and no longer have to rely on Western aid.
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