Niger’s junta has officially withdrawn the country from the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF), a regional coalition formed in 2015 to combat Islamist insurgents around Lake Chad. The move underscores Niger’s growing isolation from its former allies, following its 2023 coup and alignment with Burkina Faso and Mali in the breakaway Alliance of Sahel States (AES). While the junta claims the decision is to bolster security around oil sites, analysts warn it will embolden jihadist groups and leave local communities more vulnerable. This comes amid Niger’s broader shift away from Western-influenced alliances, including ECOWAS, which it has defied by not making efforts to return the country to democracy. With Mali and Burkina Faso, it has also put trade levies on imports from ECOWAS countries, in contrast with a prior ECOWAS decision to keep open trade and borders with AES states.
Source: The Guardian
