France has announced the suspension of its development aid and those related to budgetary support allocated to Burkina Faso, according to a statement by the Foreign Ministry on Sunday.
The statement came days after Burkina Faso and Mali declared that they would consider any military intervention against the new military rulers in Niger as a “declaration of war.”
A state of anticipation prevails in Niger with the expiry of the deadline set by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to intervene militarily to restore detained President Mohamed Bazoum to power.
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) had given Niger’s military junta a week to hand over power to democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum or face possible military intervention.
On Saturday, the French Foreign Ministry confirmed that it supports with “steadfastness and firmness” the ECOWAS efforts to return Bazoum to power.
The coup leaders in Niger pledged to respond immediately to any foreign military intervention, and announced the closure of the country’s airspace after the deadline expired.
On July 26, the head of the Presidential Guard unit, General Abd al-Rahman Chiani, led a military coup that overthrew President Bazoum, who has been held in the presidential palace since then, which was met with international condemnation and calls for the country’s first democratically elected president to be reinstated.
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2023-08-07 00:12:36
