Mali, Burkina to send delegation to coup-hit Niger

The Malian army announced on Monday the dispatch to Niamey by Mali and Burkina Faso of a joint official delegation in "solidarity" with Niger, the scene of a military coup at the end of July and under the threat of a West African military intervention.

"Burkina Faso and Mali are sending a delegation to Niamey, led by the Malian minister" Abdoulaye Maïga, one of the strong men of the Malian junta, indicated the Malian army on social networks. "Objective: to show the solidarity of the two countries to the brotherly people of Niger", she added.

The delegation is expected in Niger on Monday, according to Nigerien Foreign Affairs.

The announcement of this visit comes just after the expiry, Sunday at midnight, of the ultimatum set by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to the Nigerien soldiers to restore the ousted president Mohamed Bazoum. ECOWAS threatened to use force after the deadline expired.

Mali and Burkina Faso, where military forces also seized power by force in 2020 and 2022, warned in a joint statement that they would consider such an intervention a " declaration of war".