Photo credit: Dearborn.org
Niger’s military junta has put its military on maximum alert, in anticipation of an ECOWAS military strike anticipated at any moment. The Chief of Staff in Niger, Moussa Salau Barmo, appointed by the military junta, ordered the country’s armed forces to be put on high alert.
Fears of a military attack have peaked in the last few days following reports that France had sought Algeria’s permission to use its airspace in a military strike on Niger, which Algeria reportedly declined. France has denied it made such a request. There have, however, been clear indications that France has put its weight behind the decision by ECOWAS to carry out military intervention to reinstate the ousted pro-France former president, Mohamed Bazoum.
Not taking any chances, the junta has started preparing itself for what it believes is an inevitable step that would be carried out against the country and without warning.
On Friday, as part of its response to French support for military intervention in the country, Niger’s foreign ministry announced that French ambassador Sylvain Itte had 48 hours to leave, saying he refused to meet with the new rulers and citing French government actions that were “contrary to the interests of Niger”.
Paris rejected the demand, saying that “the putschists do not have the authority to make this request“.
In what seems like a direct response to France’s rejection of the junta’s demands, reports say the junta has ordered that electricity and water supply to the French embassy be cut off to mount pressure on the French envoy to leave the country.
On Thursday the 24th of August, 2023, the foreign ministers of both Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso met in Niger’s capital, Niamey to discuss boosting cooperation on security and other issues of concern. At the end of that meeting, the head of the Nigerién junta, Abdourahmane Tchiani, eventually signed two orders “authorising the Defence and Security Forces of Burkina Faso and Mali to intervene on Nigerién territory in the event of an attack.”
By these orders, the threat from Mali and Burkina Faso, that any attack on Niger will be treated as an attack on both countries, has now been officially activated.
Recently, also, Russian president,Vladimir Putin, assured African countries where Wagner PMC has presence that they have nothing to worry about over the sudden demise of Yevgeny Prigozhin, insisting that Wagner will fulfill its obligations to those countries (including Niger) and even do more.
On Saturday, Nigerians held another mass pro-military rally, filling the 30,000 capacity Seyni Kountche stadium in Niamey where they waved Nigerién, Algerian and Russian flags, chanting anti-France slogans and openly declaring their support for the military junta.
ECOWAS has maintained that it intends to exhaust all efforts at dialogue to find a peaceful resolution of the situation, probably the result of a growing rejection of any military intervention in the country, but the junta is not taking any chances, as it believes ECOWAS is under immense pressure and is actually planning to carry out its threat of military intervention at any time.
