Embattled President Mohamed Bazoum has raised the alarm that Mali and Burkina Faso military juntas are using “criminal Russian” mercenaries like the Wagner Group to subvert democracy. 

Mr Bazoum stated this Thursday in an open letter to the U.S. government. 

The Nigerien president had been detained since his government was overthrown in a military coup led by Abdourahmane Tchiani, a former head of the president’s security, on July 26. 

“Notably, Niger’s security situation is significantly better than that of our neighbours Mali and Burkina Faso, whose governments, both installed by military takeovers, support the illegal coup,” Mr Bazoum wrote in the letter. “Rather than addressing security concerns by strengthening their capacity, they employ criminal Russian mercenaries such as the Wagner Group at the expense of their people’s rights and dignity.” 

The letter came a week after the coup leader and military officers flew to Mali to meet with the country’s ruler. 

Salifou Modi, a military general and one of the orchestrators in the putsch that led to the ousting of Mr Bazoum, was part of the delegation of military officials who visited Mali. 

The visit had raised eyebrows that the former Western ally could draw closer to Mali’s military leaders with ties to the Wagner Group.

The Wagner Group is said to have about 1,500 troops in Mali. 

Mali and Burkina Faso threatened war if ECOWAS attempted to remove Nigerian coupists through military action in a bid to reinstate Mr Bazoum.

ECOWAS military chiefs nation converged on Abuja this week to discuss the Niger situation. At the same time, several top officials and individuals had been sent to Niger to meet with the head of the junta.