As Mali and Burkina Faso declared aid to the public in Niger in the face of the threat of ECOWAS intervention, terrorism experts wondered about the real ability to deliver on these promises. The declarations sounded rather unusual in the face of the situation that these countries themselves do not control the vast areas of their territory, especially in the directions leading to Niamej, the capital of Niger. These areas are covered by an ongoing jihadist rebellion, to which there are inactive fighting separatists.
