Niger, Burkina Faso, and Mali form military alliance

The juntas in Niger, Burkina Faso, and Mali have formed a military alliance to combat terrorism and secure their borders.

The agreement, which was announced in Niamey, Niger’s capital, on Friday, allows Mali and Burkina Faso to provide military assistance to Niger in the event of a military intervention against the putschists there. A similar agreement already exists between Burkina Faso and Mali.

The July coup in Niger was the third in the Sahel region in the past two years.

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has threatened military intervention if President Mohamed Bazoum is not reinstated. Coup leaders in Niger have refused to heed the regional bloc’s demand.

General Abdourahmane Tiani, who took power after the coup amid global condemnation, says the junta is open to talks with Ecowas after initially refusing to meet with envoys.

Yet, the junta says it will prosecute President Bazoum for “high treason” for talking to foreign leaders and international organizations while in detention.

There are concerns any intervention could lead to a wider conflict.

Three members of the Ecowas group of countries have backed the junta. the countries — Mali, Burkina Faso, and Guinea – are also led by military rulers.

Efforts at diplomacy and mediation have so far failed to yield results. On Thursday, the chair of ECOWAS, Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu despatched Islamic clerics from northern Nigeria to Niamey in another shot at peaceful resolution.

Against terrorists

The agreement calls for the three countries to take joint action against terrorist groups active in their countries and secure their borders, according to the News Agency of Nigeria.

The region has been plagued by violence from groups such as al-Qaeda and the Islamic State. The alliance is also a way for the three countries to coordinate their efforts to combat terrorism and secure their borders.

Niger is considered to be one of the last strategic partners of the West in the fight against terrorism in the Sahel. The country has been a major recipient of Western aid in recent years.