Niger crisis: Mali and Burkina Faso threaten to intervene alongside it in case of conflict with ECOWAS. Regional war in sight?
Burkina Faso and Mali, led by military juntas , have warned that any military intervention in Niger to restore ousted President Mohamed Bazoum will be considered a declaration of war against their two countries. So there is a risk of a regional war in West Africa.
The warning from Niger's military neighbors came a day after West African leaders, backed by their Western partners, threatened to use "force" to reinstate democratically elected President Bazoum and imposed financial sanctions on putschists.
In a joint statement on Monday, the governments of Burkina Faso and Mali warned that "any military intervention against Niger would amount to a declaration of war against Burkina Faso and Mali". The "disastrous consequences of a military intervention in Niger… could destabilize the entire region".
The two countries also said they "refuse to apply" the " illegal, illegitimate and inhumane sanctions against the people and authorities of Niger" that ECOWAS has threatened to apply and which include a closure of financial transactions and borders. However, this does not lighten the burden because these are landlocked internal states
"Such measures may include the use of force to this end," reads a statement.
The blockade has also imposed financial sanctions on junta leaders and the country, freezing "all commercial and financial transactions" between member states and Niger, one of the world's poorest nations, often ranking last on the Development Index. human being of the United Nations.
Pressure to urge the July 26 coup plotters to swiftly restore constitutional order is mounting from Western and African partners in Niger, a country seen as essential in the fight against jihadist groups that have been ravaging parts of the region for years. Sahel.
France and the United States, a former colonial power, already have 2,600 troops in Niger to help fight the jihadists.
The Nigerien junta on Monday accused France of wanting to "intervene militarily" to reinstate Bazoum, which French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna denied.
“It is wrong,” Colonna told French news channel BFM, adding that it is still “possible” to bring the president back to power. Because destabilization is dangerous for Niger and its neighbors,” he said on Monday evening.
French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday promised "immediate and uncompromising" action in the event of an attack on French citizens or interests, after thousands gathered outside the French embassy in Niamey. Some tried to enter the compound but were scattered by tear gas. Colonna said the demonstration was "organized, non-spontaneous, violent, extremely dangerous, with Molotov cocktails, Russian flags, anti-French slogans (which were) the exact copy of those you can hear elsewhere".
Russia has called for the swift return of the "rule of law" and "restraint of all parties" in Niger.
Macron has spoken several times with Bazoum and regional leaders, the presidential palace in Paris said.
Bazoum – a Western ally whose election just over two years ago marked the first peaceful transition of power in Niger since independence from France in 1960 – was overthrown on July 26 by the presidential guard elite.
Bazoum's PNDS party warned on Monday that Niger risks becoming a "dictatorial and totalitarian regime" after a series of arrests.
According to the party, the Minister of Oil and the Minister of Mines were arrested in the morning. The head of the national executive committee of the PNDS was also arrested.
The PNDS said the junta had previously arrested the interior and transport ministers and a former defense minister.
The European Union has condemned the arrest of the ministers of the ousted government and has called for their immediate release.
Landlocked Niger has become the third Sahel country in less than three years, after neighboring Mali and Burkina Faso, to be rocked by a military coup. In all three countries, a jihadist insurgency has strained fragile governments, fomented the anger of the military and rained economic blows on some of the world's poorest countries.
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The article Niger crisis: Mali and Burkina Faso threaten to intervene on its side in case of conflict with ECOWAS. Regional war in sight? comes from Economic Scenarios .
This is a machine translation of a post published on Scenari Economici at the URL https://scenarieconomici.it/crisi-del-niger-mali-e-burkina-faso-minacciano-di-intervenire-al-suo-fianco-in-caso-di-conflitto-con-lecowas-guerra-regionale-in-vista/ on Tue, 01 Aug 2023 07:30:44 +0000.