France Suspends Aid to Burkina Faso after West African Country Backs Niger Junta – News18

Last Updated: August 07, 2023, 06:15 IST

The coup has triggered alarm bells in Western countries struggling to contain a jihadist insurgency that flared in northern Mali in 2012 (AP file)

France suspends aid to Burkina Faso amidst regional tensions. ECOWAS seeks to reinstate democratically elected President Bazoum

France is suspending development aid and budgetary assistance to Burkina Faso, its foreign ministry announced Sunday.

The statement comes days after Burkina Faso and Mali announced that they would consider any military intervention against the new military rulers in Niger as a “declaration of war”.

The West African bloc ECOWAS last Sunday issued Niger’s new rulers with an ultimatum to hand back power to the democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum within the week or face possible military intervention.

France’s foreign ministry said on Saturday that it “firmly and resolutely” backed efforts by ECOWAS to reinstate Bazoum.

(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed – AFP)