The Niger Army is 'requesting the help' of Wagner's Russian forces Reports have confirmed that the soldiers who made a coup in ...
The Niger Army is 'requesting the help' of Wagner's Russian forces
Reports have confirmed that the soldiers who made a coup in Niger need Russia to help them with mercenaries at the same time that the mandate given by the ECOWAS group is about to end.
The soldiers who staged a coup in Niger requested military support from Wagner's mercenary force at the same time as the mandate given by the ECOWAS group to hand over power to civilians is coming to an end.
The request for help came when one of the leaders of the coup, General Salifou Mody, went to neighboring Mali, where he met with someone from Wagner's army, Wassim Nasr, as a journalist and senior researcher at the Soufan Center said. told the AP news agency.
He stated that three sources from Mali and a French diplomat confirmed the conversation which was reported by France24 television.
"They need (Wagner) because he will be a guarantee for them to hold power," he said, adding that the army is considering their request.
The deadline is Sunday
A military officer of one of the Western countries, who did not want to be named because he was not authorized to speak, told the AP news agency that they also heard that the Niger army was asking for help from Wagner and you are in Mali.
On Sunday, the mandate of Niger's military given by the ECOWAS group to release and return the elected president Mohamed Bazoum to his position ends.
ECOWAS security leaders have reached a consensus on the use of military force on Friday and urged their soldiers to be ready after mediators were sent to Niger on Thursday where they were denied permission to meet with the president of the country. military general Abdourahmane Tchiani.
'New Libya'
After his visit to Mali, Mody warned against the use of military force where he vowed that Niger will do everything possible so that it does not become "the new Libya" as reported by the Niger media on Friday. .
Niger is seen as the last ally that the West relies on to stop terrorism in the region where there have been coups in recent years.
The soldiers who carried out the coup abandoned the old country that had colonized them, namely France, and turned their attention to Russia.
Wagner works in some African countries, including Mali, where human rights defenders have accused the forces of violating human rights.
From the flags of Russia
One cannot say that there is a direct influence of Russia on the coup in Niger, but it should be made clear that there is an opportunity that Russia has, where it is trying to support instability wherever it is," said the speaker. and the spokesperson of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs Anne-Claire Legendre in her discussion with BFM on Friday.
For days after Niger's army seized power, residents of the country raised the Russian flag on the road.
France has 1,500 soldiers in Niger, even though Niger's army says they have cut a security agreement with Paris, and the United States has 1,100 soldiers there.