Niger announced last night that it has reopened its borders with several neighboring countries after a week since a coup that shocked the Sahel region in West Africa, one of the poorest and most troubled areas in the world.
Colonel Amadou Abdrahmane, the spokesperson for the military council, stated in a televised address, "We have reopened the land and air borders with Algeria, Burkina Faso, Mali, Libya, and Chad as of today, August 1, 2023."
The military council closed the borders last Wednesday, coinciding with its announcement of the ousting of democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum.
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) imposed sanctions on Niger, including halting all financial transactions and freezing assets, and stated that it may authorize the use of force to reinstate Bazoum in his position.
However, the military councils ruling Burkina Faso and Mali expressed their support for the coup leaders, stating that any external intervention to restore the ousted government would be regarded as a declaration of war.
This announcement from Mali and Burkina Faso on Monday evening indicates that a new alliance may form against the remaining 15-member bloc.
Meanwhile, the first military planes carrying mostly European evacuees from Niger landed in Paris and Rome on Wednesday. A French citizen from the group evacuated by authorities told Reuters, "Things could have gotten worse, but it's still good to be back here."
