It is a step in the beginning story of the three juntas that recently seized power in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger. This Saturday, September 16, the military leaders of each country, Colonel Goïta, Captain Traoré and General Tiani, signed the Liptako-Gourma Charter.
The three states promise each other mutual assistance in the event of an attack on the sovereignty and integrity of their territory. The aim is to create a new entity, the Alliance of Sahel States, with a pooling of defense systems. In the event of an act that could be considered aggression, other members must provide assistance and rescue. Above all, they will also be able to use armed force “if necessary”.
The cooperation also concerns the fight against terrorism, organized crime and armed insurgencies. When it is said that the peaceful path is favored, the use of force is again presented as a possibility. This mutual assistance applies in the event of an attack against the security forces, ships and aircraft of the Member States, in the Member States but also abroad.
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Demonstrations for the withdrawal of French forces
With this charter, the three juntas further consolidate their cooperation. On July 31, they had already refused to apply ECOWAS sanctions against Niger, deeming them “illegal, illegitimate and inhumane”. The three countries had warned that an armed regional intervention would be viewed as a declaration of war. On August 24, Niamey even signed orders allowing Malian and Burkinabe soldiers to intervene in Niger in the event of aggression.
At the same time, thousands of young Nigerians demonstrated again at the relay intersection, supporting the junta ruling in Niamey. With the aim of forcing the French armed forces to withdraw from the country. The demonstration, organized by the Committee to Support the Putschists, initially took place in the form of a rally in the city center. Then a march towards the airport where the foreign forces are stationed.
At the squadron’s roundabout, the so-called Place de la Résistance, civil society leaders spoke to the crowd. Signs, banners, Nigerian, Malian, Burkinabe and Russian flags were flown and French flags were burned. One student representative even called for the withdrawal of all foreign forces, describing them as “imperialist.” An allusion to the Americans, Germans, Italians and Belgians. The demonstration was expected to last into the night.
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