*Joint Communique #001 of Burkina Faso and the Republic of Mali
The transition governments of Burkina Faso and Mali have learned through the press of the conclusion of the extraordinary summits of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and of the West African Economic and Monetary Union held on July 30, 2023 in Abuja over the political situation in Niger.
The Transition Governments of Burkina Faso and Mali:
1. Express their fraternal solidarity and the solidarity in brotherhood of the Burkinabe and Malian people with the people of Niger who have decided, responsibly, to take their destiny into their own hands and to be accountable in the face of history for complete sovereignty;
2. Denounce the persistence of these regional organisations to impose sanctions that increase the populations’ suffering and imperil the spirit of Panafricanism.
3. Refuse to apply those illegal, illegitimate and inhumane sanctions against the Nigerien people and authorities.
4. Warn that any military intervention against Niger would mean a declaration of war against Burkina Faso and Mali.
5. Inform that any military intervention against Niger will lead to a withdrawal of Burkina Faso and Mali from ECOWAS as well as to the implementation of legitimate self-defence in support of the armed forces and people of Niger.
6. Warn against the disastrous consequences of a military intervention in Niger that might destabilise the whole region like that of the unilateral intervention of NATO in Libya, which has been the cause of the spread of terrorism in the Sahel region and in West Africa.
The Transition Governments of Burkina Faso and Mali are deeply outraged and surprised by the unevenness observed between, on the one hand the speed and adventurous attitude of certain political representatives of West Africa wishing to use the armed forces to restore a constitutional order in a sovereign country and on the other, the inaction, the indifference and passive complicity of these political representatives to help states and people victims of terrorism for decades and left to their own fate.
At a time when the young populations of the ECOWAS region are experiencing a human drama in Tunisia and in the Mediterranean, the concern of the leaders of the sub-region should be rather oriented towards the strategic social and economic issues for the realisation of their aspirations, rather than focus on the fate of deposed Presidents.
*For the National Rally for Development
Brigadier General
Ibrahim Bangoura
