Burkina Faso is preparing for the fact that forces of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) may launch a military intervention in Niger, and the country is ready to support Niamey, Burkinabe Defense Minister Kassoum Coulibaly told Sputnik.
"We anticipate aggression [of ECOWAS forces against Niger]. In any case, the head of our state [Ibrahim Traore] said that we are ready for the aggression, we support Niger," Coulibaly said.
He added that Burkina Faso is even ready to withdraw from ECOWAS because it considers the association's policy towards Niger illogical.
The members of the Economic Community of West African States should not wage wars against each other, and the very idea of such events is shocking, Coulibaly said.
"We have no right to fight each other. We are part of a single economic union. The very idea that some states of the association want to wage an internecine war is shocking. It is also shocking that some heads of state want to wage war against other countries under the guise of democracy," Coulibaly said.
He also noted that the organization has a wide network of offices across the region, but its leaders often ignore messages from experts on the ground.
"If they had not ignored the messages from ECOWAS experts, they would have seen the signs [of the coming conflict]. And a lot could have been avoided," the minister said.
Coulibaly additionally called the ECOWAS intention to reinstate the ousted Nigerien president, Mohamed Bazoum, strange, adding that the community itself should help states such as Niger in its fight against terrorism.
"Burkina Faso stands in solidarity with Mali and opposes any aggression against Niger because we share a common border. We are waging a war against terrorism and we must continue to wage it," he said.
A military takeover took place in Niger on July 26. Nigerien President Mohamed Bazoum was ousted and detained by his own guard, led by Gen. Abdourahamane Tchiani. Following the takeover, the ECOWAS suspended all financial aid to Niger, froze the assets of the military and imposed a ban on commercial flights to and from the country. In early August, during a summit in the Nigerian capital of Abuja, the ECOWAS leaders agreed to activate a standby force to potentially compel the Nigerien military to reinstate Bazoum.
No Talks of Establishing Russian Military Base in Burkina Faso Underway
There are no plans to establish a Russian military base in Burkina Faso, Burkinabe Defense Minister Kassoum Coulibaly said.
"This is not about inviting foreign troops or setting up bases. I do not think it can solve the problem [of terrorism]. We ourselves know what is really happening on our land," Coulibaly said when asked about Russia's possible military bases in the country.
The minister said that Burkina Faso should be provided with the necessary means to fight on its own.
"It is difficult for us to let other soldiers die for us. We need to get the necessary means to fight our own battles," he said.
The minister also mentioned the new concept of "volunteers for the defense of the homeland," which stipulates the creation of small armed groups from the population to fight terrorists.
"This concept was born out of the will of our people. We are now putting it into practice by improving it and developing legal regulations to make sure that these people know how to handle weapons and, most importantly, respect human rights," Coulibaly said.