Mali's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Abdoulaye Diop, said that the Sahel-Saharan region would not tolerate a repetition of the Libyan situation in Niger under the pretext of resolving the political crisis there, rejecting any military options in there.
Diop's remarks came during his meeting with the Algerian Ambassador to Mali, Al-Hawas Riach, as they discussed the path to peace in Mali, and ways to give priority to the language of direct dialogue among Malians without external interference, according to a statement by the Malian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Sunday.
Meanwhile, the Malian Prime Minister Choguel Kokalla Maïga responded to the statements of French President Emmanuel Macron, who said: “Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso will not exist without the Serval and Barkhane operations.”
Maïga believed that the French troops who participated in those two operations were the ones who caused problems in the region, blaming Paris for "destroying Libya", which led to the destabilization of the Sahel countries.
"Because of the destruction of Libya, Sahel region has become an open-air armory," he added.
Niger has entered since July 26 a state of chaos following the start of a military coup that overthrew President Mohamed Bazoum by the former commander of the presidential guard, Abdourahamane Tchiani.
