The authorities in Ouagadougou and Bamako warned in a joint statement that any military intervention in Niger to restore the elected president, Mohamed Bazoum, ousted by the recent coup, to power would amount to a "declaration of war on Burkina Faso and Mali".

 

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Edited by| Christian Megan

 

Africa  section -  CJ journalist

 

Ouagadougou and Bamako – August,1,2023

 

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The joint statement issued on Monday by the authorities emanating from two coups in the two countries, came after the leaders of the West African countries waved the use of "force" at a meeting they held in the Nigerian capital Abuja.

The military who carried out the coup in Niger accused France on Monday of wanting to "intervene militarily" to restore President Mohamed Bazoum to office, after a summit of West African countries gave the coup military group a week to restore constitutional order to the country, stressing that it does not rule out the "use of force".

Niger's Western and African partners are stepping up pressure on the coup plotters who seized power on July 26, seeking to restore "constitutional order" to this country, which is pivotal in the fight against militant movements active in the Sahel countries for years.

France has about 1,500 troops in Niger, while the United States has 1,100 soldiers involved in fighting militant groups.

France, the former colonial power in Niger and a supporter of President Bazoum, appears to have been the primary target of the military coup.

The putschists have already accused France in a statement published on Monday of wanting to "intervene militarily" to restore President Mohamed Bazoum to office.

"As part of the search for ways and means to intervene militarily in Niger, France, with the complicity of some Nigerians, held a meeting with the staff of the National Guard of the country to obtain the necessary political and military statements,"the statement added.

But French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna on Monday strongly denied the accusations.

"This is not true,"Colonna told BFM channel.

"We should not fall into the trap,"she said in response to anti-French slogans raised by demonstrators during a protest in front of the French Embassy in Niamey on Sunday.

Thousands of pro-coup demonstrators wanted to enter the embassy before security forces dispersed them by firing tear gas.

The putschists said in another statement that the firing of tear gas "injured six people, who were taken to some hospitals" in the capital.

The French minister spoke about an"organized, non-spontaneous, violent, extremely dangerous demonstration, in which Molotov cocktails were used, Russian flags were raised, anti-French slogans were copied and pasted elsewhere".

The French Embassy in Niamey announced on Tuesday that France will begin evacuating its citizens from Niger "very soon", following the coup and the anti-Paris protests that followed it.

"With the deteriorating security situation in Niamey and the relative calm in the capital, the authorities are preparing an air evacuation operation from Niamey," the embassy said in a message to its nationals, explaining that it will take place "very soon and in a very short time".

The letter noted that "the evacuation will be carried out in coordination with the troops in Niger".

She explained that the details of the exact date and place of the evacuation will be sent as soon as possible.

 

 

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