Niger coup: Burkina Faso, Mali deploy warplanes to wage war against ECOWAS

Burkina Faso and Mali on Friday, August 19, 2023, deployed warplanes to Niger Republic in a show of solidarity against possible military intervention by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

In a report aired on Niger’s state television, joint efforts by Mali and Burkina Faso in support of Niger Republic and the deployment of warplanes within Niger’s borders were highlighted.

“Mali and Burkina Faso turned their commitments into concrete action by deploying warplanes to respond to any attack on Niger,” it said, noting the planes were Super Tucano fighter jets.

In the gathering of the ECOWAS chief of staff on same Friday in Ghana, the date of the imminent military intervention in Niger Republic was not revealed but the bloc made it known its military forces were ready to intervene as soon as orders were given.

Both Burkina Faso and Mali are also under military leadership, as they previously released a statement of support for Niger Republic against the planned ECOWAS military operation to alter the course of the coup in the country.

In the statement, both warned that any intervention would be seen as a declaration of war against Burkina Faso and Mali.

Cameroon Agency