On August 24, the Niger military government said that Burkina Faso and Mali were authorized to intervene in Niamey if necessary. (Source: Teller Report)

According to the Niger Ministry of Foreign Affairs, during a visit to Niamey on August 24, Burkina Faso Foreign Minister Olivia Rouamba and her Malian counterpart Abdoulaye Diop welcomed Niger's permission for the armies of the two neighboring countries to "intervene in Niger's territory in case of attack."

In late July, in the face of the overthrow of Niger President Mohamed Bazoum, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) issued an ultimatum, threatening to use force if the Niger military government did not reinstate Mr. Bazoum.

Meanwhile, the authorities in Burkina Faso and Mali have said that any military intervention in neighboring Niger would be considered an attack against them. Niger is the fourth West African country to experience a coup since 2020, after Burkina Faso, Guinea and Mali.

On the same day, Mr. Florencia Soto Nino-Martinez, deputy spokesperson of the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General, affirmed that the situation in Niger is making the withdrawal of UN peacekeeping forces from neighboring Mali more complicated.

The coup in Niger could have a “significant impact” on the withdrawal, Martinez said, as Niger is one of the main routes for personnel and equipment to leave Mali. Niger’s closure of the border has forced the UN to seek alternative routes.

In June this year, the UN Security Council decided to terminate the mission of the United Nations Peacekeeping Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) and gave the mission six months (until December 31, 2023) to complete its withdrawal.

MINUSMA was deployed by the UN Security Council in 2013. It is considered one of the UN's most dangerous peacekeeping missions. As of the end of June 2023, more than 300 peacekeepers had died in the line of duty.