Wagner Group soldiers were attacked by al-Qaeda terrorists on the border of Mali and Niger

Wagner Group soldiers were attacked by al-Qaeda terrorists on the border of Mali and Niger.

Al-Qaeda confirmed their fighters surrounded Wagner and will not let them enter Niger.

All eyes are on the next move by West African leaders who vowed to attack coup leaders in Niger if they failed to free the detained president and revert back to a democratically elected government.

The deadline for the threat of force involving troops from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) was Sunday. By late evening, no sign of a military intervention in Niger was apparent.

While some observers say the bloc’s hardline stance was prompted by Western allies – the United States and France in particular – ECOWAS’s moves reflect a different approach of its new chairman, Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu, and they crystallise the fear of member-state leaders who do not want their militaries getting their own ideas, analysts say. 

But ECOWAS’s combative response to Niger’s coup also reveals unusual cracks in the alliance of its 15 member states.

A local elected official earlier told AFP that Senegalese soldiers from the UN’s peacekeeping mission in Mali, MINUSMA, were involved in the fighting.

MINUSMA’s camp covers four hectares (nearly 10 acres) next to the airport and the Malian army camp.

“MINUSMA strongly condemns the 22 April attacks on the Malian Armed Forces (FAMa) camp in Sevare and the nearby car bombings that killed and injured civilians… Shots were also fired toward the MINUSMA camp,” the mission said in a statement Saturday.