General Modi, the figurehead of the new junta, is received in Mali and Burkina.

As early as Wednesday morning, observers wondered about the takeoff of a twin-engine plane from Niamey with twelve passengers on board, bound for Bamako. A few hours later, photos circulated on social media showing General Salifu Modi, number 2 of the junta that came to power in Niger, at Bamako airport. At the head of the delegation, the former chief of staff of the armed forces, who was fired in April, met with the Malian authorities, including the transitional president, Colonel Assimi Goita. On the same day, he stopped at Ouagadougou, where he was received by President Ibrahim Traore.

These two Sahelian countries, also held by the juntas after the 2021 and 2022 coups, very quickly declared theirsolidarityfor CNSP in Niger. In a joint statement on Monday, the governments warned that any military intervention in Niger to restore constitutional order would “declaration of warin Burkina and Mali. ECOWAS, which brings together 15 member states of the subregion, threatened the use of force by presenting the junta with a week-long ultimatum.

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According to journalist Serge Daniel, RFI correspondent in Mali, the CNSP delegation thanked the Malian authorities for their support and welcomed the good cooperation between the two countries. General Modi also reportedly claimed, without further details, that he was holding political consultations in Bamako. Observers, in particular, wonder about the possibility of rapprochement with the Wagner militia present in Mali and Burkina, where they provide security for heads of state.

In Burkina, General Modi indicated that the exchange of views dealt, in particular, with the sanctions imposed by ECOWAS on Niger. “We have received very strong support from Burkina Faso.“, greeted the general on Wednesday evening, declaring that he did not want to”not that Niger is the new Libya“.