The foreign minister of Mali told the UN General Assembly that any military intervention in Niger would threaten Mali's security. The juntas in Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso signed a mutual defense pact last week.

Three West African countries ruled by military juntas have signed a mutual defense pact. Mali and Burkina Faso had previously promised to come to Niger's aid in the event of an attack.

No details have yet been given by Malian authorities on any casualties from the attack. It's the latest violence in the West African country after two assaults by suspected jihadis killed dozens a day prior.

At least 49 civilains and 15 soldiers were killed in two separate attacks by suspected jihadists in Mali.

The pact allows Mali and Burkina Faso to provide military assistance to Niger in the event of military intervention against the putschists there.

Mali's junta demanded in June that the MINUSMA force withdraw from the West African country after a decade-long deployment. The mission was created to quell separatist and Islamist insurgencies in northern Mali.

Neighboring Burkina Faso and Mali, which are also both run by military juntas, strongly rebuked regional bloc ECOWAS for weighing the option of using force to reinstate deposed President Mohamed Bazoum.

Mali's relations with the West have deteriorated sharply since a 2020 military coup in the country. The junta has rallied behind Russia and brought in the paramilitary Wagner Group to meet its security needs.

Russia says the Wagner group's activities in Mali and Central African Republic will continue, unaffected, despite an aborted mutiny by its leader at the weekend. Provisional results from Sierra Leone's presidential election show the incumbent Julius Maada Bio in the lead.ahead of his main rival Samura Kamara. And Kenya's President William Ruto signs a contentious bill into law... that will raise taxes on a wide range of items, from petrol, to housing, and basic goods

After the military seized power in Mali three years ago, people are now being called upon to vote on a new constitution. According to the authors of the draft, it will re-establish democracy in Mali and help prevent the insecurity and corruption that once led to the military coup.

Mali's foreign minister has accused the UN mission of failing to respond to security challenges. The peacekeeping mission was established in 2013 to stabilize the country amid a jihadi insurgency.

Malians are due to take part in a referendum on Sunday that paves the way for elections and democratic rule in 2024. Repeated postponements and two military coups have stood in the way of the poll since 2017.