In his first international visit since the coup in Niamey, General Abdourahamane Tiani, the head of the military regime in Niger, met with Assimi Goïta, the head of the military junta in Mali.
Before departing Mali for Burkina Faso, Tiani thanked the Malian government and people for “the support and determination of the Malian people to stand alongside the authorities and the people of Niger, regardless of the obstacles,” in a press statement.
Following their coups in 2020 and 2022, military leaders in charge of Mali and Burkina Faso swiftly expressed support for the generals in Niamey following their takeover in late July. They joined forces to form the “Alliance des Etats du Sahel” (AES), which provides for mutual aid in the event of risks to the three states’ territorial integrity and sovereignty as well as closer economic ties.
Tiani said that the objective is to turn the Sahel region from a “zone of insecurity” to a “zone of prosperity.”
The three military regimes are united against jihadists who carry out devastating attacks on their countries, and they are also united against international pressure to return to democratic regimes.
Thanking his neighbours in Mali and Burkina Faso for continuing to trade with his country, General Tiani acknowledged that Niger was under an embargo and that it was subject to political and economic sanctions from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), much like Mali had at one point.
On November 30, the foreign ministers of the three nations will get together to discuss diplomatic and political issues. According to the press release, these and other meetings will come before a later gathering of the defence ministers.
