General Salifou Mody, one of the Nigerien officers involved in the July 26 coup d’etat, has made a visit to Mali to speak to Bamako’s junta leaders, who themselves took power in a 2021 coup.

Mody met with Mali's transitional president, Assimi Goïta, accompanied by a significant delegation from Niger's military. According to a Malian press release, the Nigerien officer expressed gratitude to Malian authorities for their support since the coup led by the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland (CNSP), where he holds the position of vice president.

This meeting sparked speculation about the potential involvement of the Russian Wagner mercenary group in Niger. Wagner has been active in Mali since September 2021, when the junta invited the group to replace French troops that had been kicked out. The coup-leaders in Niger, who have themselves engaged in anti-Paris rhetoric, could be looking to Mali as a model for the future of their leadership.

Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of Wagner, openly expressed his joy over the coup in Niger on social media, and offered his private military company's support in dealing with the current situation in the country. This has caused worry among Western leaders, especially the US and France, who have been actively aiding Niger in its fight against local Islamist insurgencies.

The coup in Niger has elicited mixed reactions from countries in the Sahel region, which has been grappling with the growing threat of militant extremism.

Mali, Burkina Faso and Guinea, which are also run by juntas, support Nigerien authorities and caution against military involvement. Meanwhile, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has demanded the reinstatement of the ousted president and has imposed sanctions on the coup's military officials.