In a statement late Tuesday on the eve of two days of rallies announced by the opposition, Territorial Administration Minister Mory Conde warned demonstrators could unleash "urban warfare" and "impose terror using unprecedented violence."
"We have taken the step of legally requisitioning, as of May 15, 2023, the use of the armed forces to support the police and gendarmerie facing difficulties in maintaining and restoring public order," he said in a statement read on state TV.
He threatened the use of anti-terrorist laws, which include life sentences, against anyone who sought to "intimidate, provoke a situation of terror, create insecurity in the public" or foment "a crisis situation."
The opposition is protesting against the crackdown and pressing for dialogue with the region's bloc, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
Mediation efforts by religious leaders to broker a dialogue have failed. Protests in the troubled country have a long history of turning deadly and being violently repressed.
The military took power on the back of protests against Conde after he pushed for a third term in office, a move that critics said breached the constitution.
The junta has promised, in the face of international pressure, to restore civilian rule by the end of 2024, purportedly to give it enough time to carry out institutional reforms.
But it has arrested a number of opposition leaders and instigated prosecutions against others, and last year banned all demonstrations.
