Burkina Faso and Mali have issued a joint statement declaring that any military intervention in Niger will be considered as a declaration of war against them.
"Any military intervention against Niger would be regarded as a declaration of war against both Burkina Faso and Mali," the communiqué reads. They further pledged "to take necessary self-defense measures in support of the Armed Forces and the people of Niger."
In a joint statement, the two transitional governments expressed their solidarity with the brotherly people of Niger, who have chosen to take charge of their own destiny responsibly. They condemned the imposition of ECOWAS sanctions against Niger, stating that such measures only worsen the suffering of the people and undermine the spirit of Pan-Africanism.
The joint statement by Mali and Burkina Faso came in response to a July 30 communiqué issued by ECOWAS countries during a summit in Abuja. In the communiqué, ECOWAS demanded the reinstatement of Niger's elected president, Mohamed Bazoum, within a week, and warned of "taking all measures," including "the use of force," if the demand was not met. In reaction, Ouagadougou and Bamako issued a warning, stating that any military intervention against Niger would lead to the withdrawal of Burkina Faso and Mali from ECOWAS.
In addition, they cautioned about the disastrous consequences of a military intervention in Niger, stating that it could destabilize the entire region, "similar to what occurred following NATO's unilateral intervention in Libya, which resulted in the spread of terrorism in the Sahel and West Africa."
"The transitional governments of Burkina Faso and Mali are deeply angered and surprised by the evident imbalance between, on one hand, the impetuosity and adventurism of certain West African political leaders, who seem willing to resort to armed force to restore constitutional order in a sovereign country, and on the other hand, the inaction, indifference, and passive complicity of these organizations and political leaders in aiding states and peoples that have been victims of terrorism and left to their fate for a decade," the joint statement read.
ECOWAS, established in the spring of 1975, is a regional organization that brings together 15 countries in West Africa. However, in response to recent military coups in Burkina Faso, Guinea, and Mali, the membership of these three countries has been suspended.
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Based on materials from TASS