Niger's military government may have asked Wagner for help

The Niger coup group is said to have asked for support from the private military group Wagner to deal with the risk of military intervention by ECOWAS.

The request was made during a visit by General Salifou Mody, one of the leaders of the coup in Niger, to neighboring Mali on August 2, the AP news agency today quoted Wassim Nasr, a journalist and analyst at the Soufan Center, an independent research organization based in New York, USA, as saying.

According to Nasr, Mody was in contact with someone from the Wagner mercenary group in Mali. The information was confirmed by three Malian sources and a French diplomat .

“They need Wagner as a patronage tool to hold on to power,” he said, adding that the Russian private military corporation was considering the request.

An unnamed Western military official also revealed that they had received reports that the Niger military government had asked for help from Wagner forces stationed in Mali.

Niger's military government faces a deadline on August 6 from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) demanding that it hand over power to President Mohamed Bazoum. ECOWAS has warned that if the coup fails to meet it will have to use all necessary measures, including military intervention.

ECOWAS is made up of 15 African countries: Cape Verde, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Benin, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Niger, Nigeria and Togo. However, Mali and Burkina Faso, which are also currently under military rule, were suspended from the bloc following coups. The two countries have said they would declare war if Niger was intervened militarily.

ECOWAS defense chiefs on August 4 drew up plans for intervention and called on the military to prepare all resources after a peacekeeping team sent to Niger on August 3 was not allowed to enter the country or meet with the military government leader, General Abdourahmane Tiani.

However, the Nigerian Senate on August 5 called on leaders of member states to seek other options other than the use of force to restore democracy in Niger, noting the "cordial relationship between Niger and Nigeria".

Niger is seen as the West's last reliable counterterrorism partner in West Africa, which has seen frequent coups in recent years.

Location of Niger and neighboring countries. Graphic: AFP — Location of Niger and neighboring countries. Graphic: *AFP*

Wagner operates in many regions of the world, including African countries such as Libya, the Central African Republic, Mali and Sudan. This force is said to sign security contracts with countries in exchange for the right to mine gold and minerals there.

On July 29, Wager boss Yevgeny Prigozhin also praised the military coup in Niger and offered to send his gunmen to the West African country to "help restore order".

Vu Hoang (According to AP )

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