Mali and Burkina Faso Warn Against International Intervention in Niger

Mali's Foreign Minister, Abdoulaye Diop, has warned that Mali will not stand idly by if foreign powers, particularly the West African regional bloc ECOWAS, intervene in neighboring Niger. ECOWAS has threatened military intervention in Niger after the coup that overthrew democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum. Mali opposes any military intervention and considers it a direct threat to its own peace and security, as well as the region's. Diop also criticized France for its "neo-colonial domination" and praised Russia's growing influence in the Sahel region.