As early as Wednesday morning, observers were wondering about the take-off of a twin-engine aircraft from Niamey, with twelve passengers on board, towards Bamako. A few hours later, photos circulated on social networks showing General Salifou Mody, number 2 of the junta that took power in Niger, at Bamako airport. At the head of a delegation, the former Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces dismissed in April met with the Malian authorities, including the President of the Transition, Colonel Assimi Goïta. That same afternoon, he stopped in Ouagadougou, where he was received by President Ibrahim Traoré.
These two Sahel countries, also held by juntas since coups in 2021 and 2022, quickly declared their "solidarity" for the CNSP in Niger. In a joint statement on Monday, the governments warned that any military intervention in Niger to restore constitutional order would be "a declaration of war" on Burkina Faso and Mali. ECOWAS, which brings together 15 member states in the sub-region, threatened the use of force by giving a one-week ultimatum to the junta.
" READ ALSO Niger: can ECOWAS really launch a military intervention against the putschists?
According to journalist Serge Daniel, RFI's correspondent in Mali, the CNSP delegation thanked the Malian authorities for their support, and welcomed the good cooperation between the two countries. General Mody also reportedly claimed, without elaborating, to have conducted political consultations in Bamako. Observers are particularly concerned about the possibility of a rapprochement with the Wagner militia, present in Mali and Burkina Faso where it ensures the security of heads of state.
In Burkina Faso, General Modi said that the exchanges focused in particular on the sanctions imposed by ECOWAS on Niger. "We have received very strong support from Burkina Faso," the general said Wednesday evening, declaring that he did not want "Niger to become a new Libya".