Burkina Faso prepares to support Niger against ECOWAS intervention

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
19 Aug 2023 10:55
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The country's defense minister notes that despite the fact that ECOWAS has a wide range of offices across the region, its leaders tend to ignore expert advice on the ground.

The defense chiefs from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) countries excluding Mali, Burkina Faso, Chad, Guinea and Niger pose for a group photo during their extraordinary meeting in Nigeria on August 4, 2023 (AP)

Burkina Faso's Defense Minister Kassoum Coulibaly told Sputnik on Saturday that the country is preparing for a possible military intervention in Niger and is readying to support Niger.

"We anticipate aggression [of ECOWAS forces against Niger]. In any case, the head of our state [Ibrahim Traore] said that we are ready for the aggression, we support Niger," Coulibaly expressed, adding that his country is even willing to withdraw from ECOWAS considering the association's policy towards Niger as unreasonable.

Coulibaly suggested that members of ECOWAS should refrain from waging wars against one another.

"We have no right to fight each other. We are part of a single economic union. The very idea that some states of the association want to wage an internecine war is shocking. It is also shocking that some heads of state want to wage war against other countries under the guise of democracy," he continued, noting that despite the fact that ECOWAS has a wide range of offices across the region, its leaders tend to ignore expert advice on the ground.

"If they had not ignored the messages from ECOWAS experts, they would have seen the signs [of the coming conflict]. And a lot could have been avoided".

"Burkina Faso stands in solidarity with Mali and opposes any aggression against Niger because we share a common border. We are waging a war against terrorism and we must continue to wage it," Coulibaly said.

This update follows Niger will open military recruitment centers for volunteers in an effort to amp up the army ahead of a possible intervention by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in light of the ongoing coup.

Tens of thousands of volunteers across Niger are expected by recruiters to join combat units alongside the Nigerien armed forces' medical, technical, and engineering logistics units.

Time is ticking as the ECOWAS has set a 'D-Day' for the possible military intervention in Niger, aimed at allegedly "restoring democracy" in Niger, according to the organization's Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security Abdel-Fatau Musah. However, a specific date has not been released yet.