Niger junta delegation arrives in Mali capital

General Salifou Mody, one of the officers who seized power in Niger last week, arrived on Wednesday in neighbouring Mali, whose junta has supported the coup leaders in the face of international pressure, sources said.

Mody, a former army chief of staff who had been fired in April, arrived in the capital Bamako at the head of a delegation, a senior Nigerien official and a Malian security official told AFP but did not give further details.

Niger’s junta has come under pressure from the international community while the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has threatened potential use of force if the junta does not restore ousted President Mohamed Bazoum by Sunday.

The military chiefs of ECOWAS member countries are due to meet in Nigeria on Wednesday for three days of consultations.

A delegation led by former Nigerian president Abdulsalami Abubakar is also expected in Niger on Wednesday.

The ruling juntas of Mali and Burkina Faso — which seized power in 2020 and 2022, respectively — warned in a joint statement on Monday that they would view military intervention in Niger as a “declaration of war” against their own countries.

All three Sahel countries are racked by jihadist insurgencies and insecurity.