According to a statement released on Monday, August 21, on the Algerian Radio website, Algeria “has responded negatively to the French request to overfly its national territory to attack Niger.”
Could France’s military intervention in Niger to free President Mohamed Bazoum be imminent? A statement released late on the evening of Monday, August 21, on the Algerian Radio website indicated that Algeria “has responded negatively to the French request to overfly its national territory to attack Niger.” According to the same source, the competent Moroccan authorities have decided, after validating flight plans, to respond favorably to the French request for permission to overfly its territory with its military aircraft.
On Tuesday, August 1st, Algeria had warned against foreign intervention in Niger. The Algerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs had stated in a communique the “deep attachment” of Algeria to the “return to constitutional order in Niger and the respect for the requirements of the rule of law.” By renewing its support for Mohamed Bazoum as the “legitimate president,” the Algerian government specifies that the “return to constitutional order must be accomplished through peaceful means that will prevent our brother Niger and the entire region from facing additional insecurity and instability, and our peoples from facing additional adversity and trials.”
In a televised address on Saturday, August 19, General Abdourahamane Tiani warned the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) countries against any military intervention. “If aggression were to be launched against us, it will not be the walk in the park that some believe,” he asserted, stating that the regional organization aimed to set up an “occupation army in collaboration with a foreign army,” without naming any specific country.
