The Malian Foreign Minister threatened to respond to any military intervention carried out by ECOWAS in Niger. He criticized France's "colonial hegemony", praising Russian solidarity in return.
Malian Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop said on Saturday at the United Nations that his country “will not stand idly by” in the event of military intervention in Niger.
For several weeks, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has been threatening the perpetrators of the coup on July 26 to launch military intervention with the aim of returning ousted President Mohamed Bazoum to power.
Diop said at the United Nations General Assembly, representing the Malian military junta, that his country “remains strongly opposed to any military intervention by ECOWAS.”
He added: "Any military intervention in Niger, any aggression, any invasion of this country, constitutes a direct threat to peace and security in Mali, as well as to peace and security in the region, and will necessarily have dire consequences. We will not stand idly by."
Mali signed a defense agreement with Niger and Burkina Faso a week ago that stipulates mutual assistance in the event of an attack targeting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the three countries ruled by the army.
Diop again attacked France and its "neo-colonial hegemony," praising Russia in return for its "active solidarity and reliable commitment at the bilateral and multilateral levels."
Since last July 26, Niger has been in a state of chaos when General Abderrahmane Tiani, the former commander of the Presidential Guard, led a military coup that overthrew President Mohamed Bazoum.
On August 3, the military leaders in Niger announced the cancellation of the military agreements with France, which Paris rejected, under the pretext of the coup plotters’ lack of legitimacy.
The Malian Foreign Minister warned that “the government of the Republic of Mali does not plan to extend this deadline.”
Diop said, "The government assures the Malian people and the international community that all measures have been taken to ensure the continuity of state services after the departure of MINUSMA."
He stressed that "the government of the Republic of Mali is more determined than ever to exercise its sovereignty and extend all its authority over the entire national territory."
Informative
ReplyDelete