 France retaliated by cutting off aid to Burkina Faso for supporting Niger-Coup. French officials have announced that France will no longer send development aid to Burkina Faso after the West African country backed the ongoing military coup in Niger. In a statement published late on August 6, Paris confirmed that until further notice, all its development aid and budget support actions for the nation are being suspended. The coup in Niger took place on February 24, 2023, when a group of soldiers led by Colonel Mamadou Jaroi overthrew the democratically elected government of President Mohammed Bazoum. The Chunta in Burkina Faso, which came to power in a coup in January 2023, said in a statement that it supported the coup in Niger because it was a continuation of the popular will for change in the region. France, which has been the former colonial power in both Burkina Faso and Niger, condemned the coup in Niger and called for the immediate restoration of constitutional order. The brief statement issued on Sunday did not give the reasons for the aid cut. But the announcement came days after Burkina Faso and Mali, both with military rulers, declared their strong backing for the Chunta that deposed Niger's President Mohammed Bazoum in a military coup last month, a split from the position of the economic community of West African state, Iqawas, which gave the coup leaders a seven-day deadline to reinstate Bazoum or they would consider forceful means. France's development aid to Ouagadougou is said to be estimated at 530 million dollars, 482 million euros, while budget support for 2022 amounted to 14.3 million dollars, 13 million euros. The two West African countries, which border Niger, declared that they would consider any military intervention in Niger a declaration of war. On Sunday, as the Iqawas deadline expired, there was uncertainty over whether the West African bloc would go ahead with the military intervention. But on Saturday, as the deadline drew closer, France's foreign ministry announced its firm and resolute support for efforts by Iqawas to reinstate Bazoum. President Bazoum was detained by members of the presidential guard on July 26, who later that evening announced the takeover of the government. Two days later, Jen Abdo-Romain Chiani, the commander of Niger's presidential guard, declared himself the head of a transitional government. The coup in Niger is the latest in a series of military takeovers in West Africa. In 2021, there were coups in Mali and Kenya. The coups have raised concerns about the stability of the region and the threat they pose to democracy. France's decision to cut off aid to Burkina Faso is a sign that it is taking a tough stance against military coups in West Africa. It remains to be seen whether this will deter other countries from staging coups in the region.