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Niger’s military coup junta warned Monday that France is seeking to intervene militarily in the African country to restore Mohamed Bazoum to the presidency, which has been in the hands of the military since last week.
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Colonel Amadou Abdramane said in a statement on public television that France is preparing its action together with some Nigerians after a meeting held at the General Staff of the National Guard of Niger. According to the colonel, the deposed foreign minister, Hassoumi Massaoudou, and the major colonel commander of the National Guard, Issa Guire, were present.
The international media organization Peoples Dispatch said that the European country “could intervene militarily with the authorization of the foreign minister of the overthrown government.”
According to the media project, thousands of Nigerians have mobilized this Sunday in the streets to demand the withdrawal of the French presence in the country with slogans such as “Down with France,” “Foreign bases out.”
Une intervention militaire contre le Niger serait « une déclaration de guerre contre le Burkina Faso et le Mali » (Colonel Abdoulaye Maïga)
Le Mali et le Burkina Faso mettent en garde contre une éventuelle intervention militaire contre le Niger et assurent qu’elle serait… pic.twitter.com/3gF6GCqmOl
— Anadolu Français (@aa_french)
July 31, 2023
The tweet reads, “Military intervention against Niger would be “a declaration of war against Burkina Faso and Mali” (Colonel Abdoulaye Maïga). Mali and Burkina Faso warn against any military intervention against Niger, saying it would be considered a “declaration of war.”
Demonstrators supporting the military takeover reportedly gathered at the French embassy headquarters and attempted to enter the building. They are said to have torn off the embassy’s plaque in Niamey, the capital, and set fire to its door.
In the midst of the situation, the 15-member Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has declared that it will “take all necessary measures,” including the use of force to restore Bazoum to the presidency.
The head of the presidential guard, General Abdourahmane Tchiani, led a coup last July 26 in which Bazoum was taken prisoner and deposed. The military junta, has called itself the National Council for the Safeguarding of the Homeland (CNSP).
