Two neighboring countries Burkina Faso and Mali have warned against any military intervention in Niger to restore deposed President Mohamed Bazoum.
The warning came a day after West African leaders, supported by their Western partners, threatened to use “force” to reinstate the democratically elected Bazoum.
The leaders equally issued financial sanctions on the junta leaders and the country, freezing “all commercial and financial transactions” between Niger and member states.
In a joint statement, the governments of Burkina Faso and Mali warned that “any military intervention against Niger would be considered as a declaration of war against the two countries.
They said the “disastrous consequences of a military intervention in Niger… could destabilise the entire region.”They also said they “refuse to apply” the “illegal, illegitimate and inhumane sanctions against the people and authorities of Niger.”
Similarly, Russian Federation also advised the Economic Community of West African States against the use of military intervention in the Niger crisis.
In response to an inquiry by The PUNCH, Russia’s Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Alexei Shebarshin, advised the use of constitutional means in restoring peace to the West African country. In a short response, the Russian ambassador however said, “Russia has no plans to use its armed forces in Niger.
At an emergency summit on Sunday, ECOWAS demanded that Bazoum be reinstated within a week, failing which it would take “all measures” to restore constitutional order.
Bazoum is a Western ally whose election over two years ago marked Niger’s first peaceful transition of power since independence from France in 1960. His government was toppled on July 26, 2023 by the elite Presidential Guard.
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