Niger’s army ruler General Abdourahamane Tiani on Thursday arrived in Mali to satisfy his counterpart Colonel Assimi Goita in his first worldwide go to since seizing energy in July, an AFP journalist famous.

Niger’s neighbours, Mali and Burkina Faso — that are dominated by army leaders who seized energy in 2020 and 2022, respectively — have pledged solidarity to Niger’s coup leaders.

The three Sahel international locations in September signed a pact that features provisions for mutual defence within the occasion of an assault on the “sovereignty and territorial integrity” of any of the international locations.

They additionally plan to strengthen financial ties and Tiani thanked his neighbours for standing by his nation after Niger’s regional and Western companions introduced a collection of sanctions in opposition to it following the coup.

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“It would seem that the purpose of the embargo was to exert pressure on the authorities. But this does not take into account the fact it is actually the people who are suffering and we are aware of this and that is why we are willing to exchange, to negotiate, but with people motivated by good will, with sincere people, with people who care about the African people,” Tiani stated.

The regimes are additionally united within the combat in opposition to jihadism of their international locations.

Tiani stayed a number of hours in Mali’s capital Bamako and met Goita for a “friendship and working” go to, the Malian presidency stated, earlier than leaving for Burkina Faso.

Shortly after taking energy, Tiani pledged to return Niger to civilian rule inside three years.

Mali, in the meantime, has indefinitely postponed a presidential election that was scheduled for early 2024.

Mali plans to host ministers from the three international locations for a number of conferences within the coming weeks with the intention of ironing out the operational particulars of the brand new Sahel alliance, it stated in an announcement Thursday.