In a move aimed at bolstering the Niger-Burkina Faso alliance, the government of Burkina Faso has endorsed a bill sanctioning the sending of troops to neighbouring Niger.
The approval of the draft law occurred during a session of Burkina Faso’s government, which is predominantly under military influence.
Although specifics regarding the troop deployment remain undisclosed, the statement indicated that the modalities for this action were mutually agreed upon by both nations.
“What affects security in Niger fundamentally affects security in Burkina Faso,” the statement quoted Defence Minister Kassoum Coulibaly as saying.
The bill will be put to Burkina Faso’s transitional legislature in the coming days for its approval.
The West African bloc ECOWAS has warned of intervening militarily if diplomatic efforts to return Bazoum to power fail a move that has prompted Mali and Burkina to say any operation would be tantamount to a “declaration of war” on themselves.
General Abdourahamane Tiani, the leader of Niger, recently enacted a decree permitting the intervention of regional forces to counteract external armed threats or destabilisation.
Colonel Coulibaly emphasised that the deployment of military personnel to Niger is a continuation of the ongoing battle against terrorism.
The armed forces in Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso, all of which are ill-equipped, have grappled with a jihadist insurgency that originated in northern Mali in 2012 before spreading to Niger and Burkina Faso three years later.
In Burkina Faso, which experienced dual coups in the past year, over two million individuals have been displaced from their residences, and a significant portion of the country remains beyond the government’s jurisdiction.
