Niger’s military junta has allowed the armies of neighboring Mali and Burkina Faso to enter the country in case of an attack.

The foreign ministers of these countries announced such a decision in a joint statement on Thursday, August 24, Reuters reports.

This could be a sign that the junta in Niger plans to keep resisting regional pressure to stand down.

The statement said the ministers welcomed the signing by Niger junta leader General Abdourahamane (Omar) Tiani of two orders “authorising the Defense and Security Forces of Burkina Faso and Mali to intervene on Nigerien territory in the event of an attack.”

“The Burkinabe and Malian Ministers reiterated their rejection of an armed intervention against the people of Niger which will be considered as a declaration of war,” the statement reads.

Previously, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) tried to negotiate with the Nigerian military junta, but its representatives warned that the organization’s member states could send their troops into Niger to restore constitutional order if diplomacy failed.

In response, Mali and Burkina Faso, also led by the junta, said they would support Niger in any conflict with ECOWAS.

Any escalation risks further destabilizing this African region.

On August 24, RFI radio station, citing its own sources, reported that Benin, Guinea-Bissau, Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria and Senegal were already forming military contingents to intervene in Niger under the auspices of the West African bloc ECOWAS.

The participation of Ghana’s military in the operation is also being considered, and the option of involving the forces of other ECOWAS countries is not excluded.

Military coup

As previously reported, on July 27, members of the presidential guard staged a coup by arresting the current President of the country, Mohamed Bazoum.

The very next day, Friday, July 28, General Omar Tiani announced on state television that the President would be removed and all state structures in the country dissolved. Tiani announced himself as the head of the transitional council that would take power in the country.