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☆ Coup juntas threaten to quit West Africa bloc: Here’s what it means for the region — and Russia
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

ACCRA, Ghana - ECOWAS flag with member flags at the second extraordinary summit on the political situation in Burkina Faso, in Accra, Ghana, on February 3, 2022. OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso - Jan. 20, 2023: A banner of Russian President Vladimir Putin is seen during a protest to support the Burkina Faso President Captain Ibrahim Traore and to demand the departure of France's ambassador and military forces. Mali has ruled out leaving WAEMU, while Burkina Faso is considering it. "Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger will likely draw on the extractive sector to improve their weak economies. A recent UN Development Programme report surveyed 5,000 people who had directly experienced a recent coup or unconstitutional change of government, including citizens of Burkina Faso, Chad, Guinea, Mali and Sudan.

Persons: NIPAH DENNIS, Bola Tinubu, Vladimir Putin, Captain Ibrahim Traore, Alex Vines, there'd, Tinubu, Ouattara, —, Vines, Mucahid Durmaz, Verisk Maplecroft, Durmaz, Balima Boureima, insurgencies, Wagner, Niger, specter, Mohamed Bazoum, Rey Byhre Organizations: Getty, Economic, West African States, ECOWAS, Nigerian, Africa, Chatham House, CNBC, Algeria —, West, Cote D'Ivoire, Anadolu Agency, Getty Images, Wagner Group, West African Economic, Monetary Union, CFA, National Council for, UN Locations: ACCRA, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Accra, AFP, Mali, Niger, Sahel, Mauritania, OUAGADOUGOU, Chatham, France, Nigeria, Côte d'Ivoire, Algeria, Malian, Russia, Bamako, Mucahid, West Africa, Togo, Benin, Cote, NIAMEY, NIGER, Niamey, West, U.S, Moscow, WAEMU, Seme, Chad, Guinea, Sudan, The Gambia, Tanzania, Kati

☆ Analysis-West Africa's 'Brexit' Moment Spells Trouble for the Region
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-30 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +6 min

Ivory Coast alone is home to more than 5 million people from Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger. Earlier this month, Russia and Niger, ruled by a junta since a coup last year, agreed to develop military ties. Russian military personnel flew into Burkina Faso's capital Ouagadougou last week to ensure the safety of the country's military leader. EMPTY THREATECOWAS has responded to a wave of coups in the region since 2020 with sanctions that the juntas have called "illegal and inhumane." "The departure from ECOWAS will have catastrophic consequences for the ability to respond to the many security challenges facing this region," said Abba.

Persons: Bate Felix, David Lewis, Giulia Paravicini, Seidik Abba, Russia's Wagner, Mucahid Durmaz, Verisk Maplecroft, Charlie Robertson, Kwesi Aning, Gilles Yabi, Adama Coulibaly, Nagnouma Keita, Abba, Tiemoko Diallo, Boureima, Silvia Aloisi, Andrew Cawthorne Organizations: Giulia Paravicini DAKAR, West, West African States, Reuters, Islamic, FIM Partners, European Union, ECOWAS, CFA Locations: Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Russia, Ivory Coast, Niger . Niger, Nigeria, Paris, Ghana, Togo, Benin, France, United States, Burkina Faso's, Ouagadougou, West Africa, United, London, Bamako, Guinea, China

☆ Niger's Ousted President Bazoum Attempts Escape, Junta Captors Claim
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( Oct. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

NIAMEY (Reuters) - Niger's junta said on Thursday that it had thwarted an escape attempt by ousted President Mohamed Bazoum who has been imprisoned by the military since a July 26 coup despite international calls for his release. The interim authorities said that Bazoum and his family, with the help of accomplices in the security forces, planned to drive a vehicle to the ouskirts of the capital Niamey and catch a helicopter to neighbouring Nigeria. "The strong reaction of the defense and security forces made it possible to foil this plan to destabilize our country," a military spokesman said on national television. Reuters was not able to confirm the account or reach Bazoum, whose whereabouts are unknown. Bazoum's party and family members say he has had no access to running water, electricity or fresh goods, prompting condemnation from former western allies.

Persons: Mohamed Bazoum, Bazoum, Boureima Balima, Edward McAllister, Diane Craft Organizations: Reuters Locations: NIAMEY, Niamey, Nigeria, West Africa's, Sahel, Mali, Burkina Faso

☆ French Troops Begin Withdrawal From Niger
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-10 | by ( Oct. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

NIAMEY (Reuters) - French military convoys have begun withdrawing from bases in southwest Niger, marking the start of a departure demanded by Niger's junta that has dealt a further blow to France's influence in West Africa's conflict-hit Sahel region. Pickup trucks and armoured personnel carriers laden with French troops drove through the dusty outskirts of the capital Niamey on Tuesday, a Reuters reporter said, after the junta late on Monday said the withdrawal would kick off the following day. A few dozen French servicemen flew out of Niger on a military plane on Monday, an airport worker and two other sources familiar with the flight said. A joint France-Niger withdrawal plan, seen by Reuters, said Niger's military would provide security back-up to the French convoys withdrawing by land. (Reporting by Abdel-Kader Mazou and Boureima Balima; Additional reporting and writing by Hereward Holland; Editing by Alessandra Prentice and Jonathan Oatis)

Persons: Monday, Abdel, Kader Mazou, Hereward Holland, Alessandra Prentice, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Niger's, Reuters Locations: NIAMEY, Niger, West, Niamey, Chad, France, Mali, Burkina Faso, Africa

☆ Niger Junta Ends Military Accord With Benin Amid Regional Standoff
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( Sept. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

NIAMEY (Reuters) - The junta in Niger on Tuesday said it would end a military pact with neighbouring Benin, accusing it of authorising the deployment of troops on its territory for a possible military intervention against Niger by the West African regional bloc. The junta in a statement read on national television said Benin had "authorised the deployment of soldiers, mercenaries, and war materials" in the context of the possible ECOWAS intervention. As a result the new Nigerien authorities "decide to renounce the military cooperation agreement (with Benin)," it said. ECOWAS has not shared any details about possible deployments and Niger last week said talks with the bloc continued. Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, who holds ECOWAS' revolving chairmanship, has suggested that a nine-month transition back to civilian rule could satisfy regional powers.

Persons: Bola Tinubu, Boureima Balima, Alessandra Prentice, Grant McCool Organizations: West African, ECOWAS, Nigerien Locations: NIAMEY, Niger, Benin, Nigerian

☆ Huge protests in Niger call for French forces to leave after coup
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-02 | by ( Boureima Balima | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Anti-French sentiment has risen in Niger since the coup but soured further last week when France ignored the junta's order for its ambassador, Sylvain Itte, to leave. Reuters reporters said it was the biggest gathering yet since the coup, suggesting that support for the junta - and derision of France - was not waning. France had cordial relations with ousted President Mohamed Bazoum and has about 1,500 troops stationed in Niger. On Friday, French President Emmanuel Macron said he spoke to Bazoum every day and that "the decisions we will take, whatever they may be, will be based upon exchanges with Bazoum." West Africa's regional bloc ECOWAS has slapped sanctions on Niger and threatened military action as a last resort.

Persons: Mahamadou, Paris, Sylvain Itte, Yacouba, Mohamed Bazoum, Emmanuel Macron, Niger's, Bola Tinubu, Edward McAllister, David Holmes Organizations: REUTERS, Police, France, ECOWAS, Thomson Locations: Niamey, Niger, NIAMEY, Niger's, West, Central Africa, France, West Africa, Mali, Burkina Faso, Africa's, United States

☆ Niger junta instructs police to expel French ambassador
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Nigerien security forces launch tear gas to disperse pro-junta demonstrators gathered outside the French embassy, in Niamey, the capital city of Niger July 30, 2023. REUTERS/Souleymane Ag Anara/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNIAMEY, Aug 31 (Reuters) - The junta that seized power in Niger last month said that the French ambassador to Niger, Sylvain Itte, no longer had diplomatic immunity and police had been instructed to expel him. The junta on Friday ordered the ambassador to leave the country within 48 hours in response to actions taken by the French government which it said were "contrary to the interests of Niger". The visas of the ambassador and his family were cancelled, the junta said in a statement dated Aug. 29 and confirmed as authentic by the junta's head of communications. French President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday that the ambassador would stay in the country despite the junta's pressure and reiterated France's support to Niger's ousted president Mohamed Bazoum.

Persons: Sylvain Itte, Emmanuel Macron, Niger's, Mohamed Bazoum, Boureima Balima, Anait Miridzhanian, Alexander Winning Organizations: REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Nigerien, Niamey, Niger, NIAMEY

☆ Niger orders troops to go on 'maximum alert'
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-26 | by ( Boureima Balima | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The document, which was shared widely online on Saturday, said the order to be on maximum alert would allow forces to respond adequately in case of any attack and "avoid a general surprise". The main West African bloc ECOWAS has been trying to negotiate with the leaders of the July 26 coup, but has said it is ready to deploy troops to restore constitutional order if diplomatic efforts fail. On Friday, the bloc downplayed this threat and said it was "determined to bend backwards to accommodate diplomatic efforts," although an intervention remained one of the options the table. "For the avoidance of doubt, let me state unequivocally that ECOWAS has neither declared war on the people of Niger, nor is there a plan, as it is being purported, to invade the country, ECOWAS Commission President Omar Alieu Touray told reporters. Additional reporting by Camillus Eboh in Abuja; Writing by Alessandra Prentice; Editing by David HolmesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Omar Alieu Touray, Camillus, Alessandra Prentice, David Holmes Organizations: West, ECOWAS, Thomson Locations: NIAMEY, Niger, Camillus Eboh, Abuja

☆ Niger junta expels French ambassador
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Niger's junta supporters take part in a demonstration in front of a French army base in Niamey, Niger, August 11, 2023. In a statement, the junta-appointed foreign ministry said the decision to expel the ambassador was a response to actions taken by the French government that were "contrary to the interests of Niger." It said these included the envoy's refusal to respond to an invitation to meet Niger's new foreign minister. The French foreign ministry did not immediately reply to a request for comment. The deterioration in Niger-France relations echoes post-coup developments in Mali and Burkina Faso, which have booted out French forces and severed long-standing ties.

Persons: Mahamadou, Sylvain Itte, Mohamed Bazoum, Niger's, Boureima Balima, Benoit Van Overstraeten, Anait Miridzhanian, Chris Reese, Andrew Heavens, Andy Sullivan Organizations: REUTERS, West, ECOWAS, Thomson Locations: Niamey, Niger, NIAMEY, French, Burkina Faso, Mali, France

REUTERS/Francis Kokoroko Acquire Licensing RightsABUJA/NIAMEY, Aug 19 (Reuters) - A delegation from West Africa's main regional bloc ECOWAS met Niger's ousted president Mohamed Bazoum and held talks with junta leader General Abdourahmane Tiani in the capital Niamey on Saturday, a Nigerian presidential spokesperson said. The group that flew in was led by Nigeria's former military leader Abdulsalami Abubakar and included ECOWAS commission president Omar Touray, the source said. "After meeting .... (junta leader) General Abdoulrahmane Tchiani, the ECOWAS delegation in Niger have also visited President Mohamed Bazoum this evening," he wrote on messaging platform X, formerly known as Twitter. There was no immediate comment from the junta, which has held president Mohamed Bazoum since seizing power despite international calls for his release. ECOWAS has taken a harder stance on the Niger coup, the wider region's seventh in three years, than it did on previous ones.

Persons: Francis Kokoroko, Niger's, Mohamed Bazoum, General Abdourahmane Tiani, Abdulsalami Abubakar, Omar Touray, Abdulaziz Abdulaziz, General Abdoulrahmane Tchiani, Tiani, Alessandra Prentice, Toby Chopra, Jane Merriman Organizations: Chiefs, Defense, REUTERS, Rights, ECOWAS, West, Twitter, Islamic, U.S . State Department, Thomson Locations: Republic of Niger, Accra, Ghana, Rights ABUJA, NIAMEY, West Africa's, Niamey, Niger, al Qaeda, Islamic State

[1/2] Thousands of young Nigeriens gather as they heed call to sign up as non-military volunteers to back up the junta in the capital Niamey, Niger August 19, 2023. That is what made us halt this census," Hima said by the stadium after the crowds dispersed. POSSIBLE ATTACK"They called on the youth to respond to a possible attack on our soil. An ECOWAS delegation flew into Niamey on Saturday to hold talks with the junta, showing that efforts to resolve the standoff peacefully are still underway. At the stadium on Saturday, 35-year-old Kader Haliou said patriotism was not the only motivation for those wanting to help the junta.

Persons: Mahamadou, Mohamed Bazoum, Younoussa Hima, Hima, Tahirou Seydou, nodded, Kader Haliou, Alessandra Prentice, David Holmes Organizations: REUTERS, Niger's, Young People, Fatherland, Economic, West African States, ECOWAS, World Bank, Thomson Locations: Niamey, Niger, NIAMEY, West, Africa's

[1/3] ECOWAS Committee of Chiefs of Defense staff meet on the deployment of its standby force in the Republic of Niger, in Accra, Ghana. Niger military officers deposed President Mohamed Bazoum on July 26 and have defied calls from the United Nations, ECOWAS and Western powers to reinstate him, prompting West African heads of state to order the standby force to be assembled. "Let no one be in doubt that if everything else fails, the valiant forces of West Africa...are ready to answer to the call of duty," ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security Abdel-Fatau Musah said. Musah accused the Niger coup leaders of "playing cat-and-mouse" with ECOWAS by refusing to meet with its envoys and seeking justifications for their takeover of power. He said most of the bloc's 15 member states were prepared to participate in the standby force that could intervene in Niger.

Persons: Francis Kokoroko, Mohamed Bazoum, Security Abdel, Fatau Musah, Russia's Wagner, I'm, Omar Yaye, Musah, Bazoum, Anait Miridzhanian, Edward McAllister, Estelle Shirbon, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Chiefs, Defense, REUTERS, West, ECOWAS, United Nations, Political Affairs, Peace, Security, European Union, Media, Thomson Locations: Republic of Niger, Accra, Ghana, Niger, Niamey, ACCRA, NIAMEY, West Africa, Gambia, Liberia, Sahel, Mali, Niger's, France, Burkina Faso, Guinea, Cape Verde

☆ West African nations mull troop contributions for possible Niger intervention
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-11 | by ( Boureima Balima | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

West African leaders gather for Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Head of States and Government meeting in Abuja, Nigeria August 10, 2023. ECOWAS (the Economic Community of West African States) said all options were on the table and they still hoped for a peaceful resolution to the Niger crisis. Security analysts said an ECOWAS force could take weeks or longer to assemble, potentially leaving room for negotiations. Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara on Thursday promised to supply a battalion of troops to the standby force. The African Union welcomed ECOWAS' decision to activate a regional force and continue to seek a diplomatic solution.

Persons: Abraham Achirga, Mohamed Bazoum, Alassane Ouattara, Sering Modou, Ledgerhood Rennie, Ikemesit Effiong, Hama Moussa, Issa Seydou, Antony Blinken, Bazoum, They’ve, Pap, Ange Aboa, Alberto Dabo, Alphonso Toweh, Diadie, Edward McAllister, Anait Miridzhanian, Nellie Peyton, David Lewis, Ingrid Melander, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Economic Community, West African States, REUTERS, ECOWAS, Economic, West, Ivory, SBM Intelligence, African Union, Military, EU, Rights Watch, Thomson Locations: Abuja, Nigeria, NIAMEY, Niger, West, Central Africa, West African States, Ivory Coast, Ivorian, Senegal, Sahel, U.S, Niamey, Russia, France, United States, Mali, Burkina Faso, Banjul, Abidjan, Bissau, Monrivia, Diadie Ba, Dakar

"Our drone base in Niger is extremely important in countering terrorism in the region," one of the U.S. officials said. FOREIGN ASSISTANCEThe Biden administration has not formally labeled the military takeover in Niger a coup, a designation that would limit what security assistance Washington can provide the country. The U.S. drone base has grown in importance due to a lack of Western security partners in the region. The drone base, known as airbase 201, was built near Agadez in central Niger at a cost of more than $100 million. Wagner's chief, Yevgeny Prigozhin, has welcomed the coup in Niger and said his forces were available to restore order.

Persons: Abdourahmane Tiani, Balima, Mohamed Bazoum, Russia's Wagner, Biden, Antony Blinken, Nusrat al, Cameron Hudson, Hudson, Terence McCulley, WAGNER, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, Idrees Ali, Daphne Psaledakis, Simon Lewis, Michelle Nichols, Don Durfee, Deepa Babington Organizations: REUTERS, Nigerien, Islamic State, Al, West African, Center for Strategic, International Studies, United States Institute of Peace, Wagner Group, ., U.S, Thomson Locations: Niger, Niamey, United States, Sahel, Al Qaeda, France, Africa, insurgencies, Russia, China, Washington, U.S, Mali, Burkina Faso, Agadez, State, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Niger's, Nigerien

☆ Niger's tailors rush to make Russian flags after coup
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The flags have been in demand since President Mohamed Bazoum was toppled late last month in a military takeover, leading to some Russian support among crowds that celebrated the coup. It echoes similar outpourings of pro-Russian sentiments after recent military takeovers in other West African countries, worrying Western powers who see their influence slipping in some old regional allies. He said the flags of neighboring Burkina Faso, Guinea and Mali, where military takeovers have also occurred since 2020, were also popular. Citizens in Burkina Faso also waved Russian flags during violent anti-France demonstrations that followed a coup in September 2022, the second in the country that year. "Before the coup d'etat I didn't know the Russian flag," he added.

Persons: Yahaya, Mohamed Bazoum, Oumarou, Okacha Abdoul, Aziz, Boureima Balima, Abdel, Kader Mazou, Sofia Christensen, Sandra Maler Organizations: Citizens, Thomson Locations: NIAMEY, Niamey, Burkina Faso, Guinea, Mali, Russia, West Africa, France, Sahel, Russian

☆ Time running short for diplomacy as post-coup Niger talks stall
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/4] General Abdourahmane Tiani, who was declared as the new head of state of Niger by leaders of a coup, arrives to meet with ministers in Niamey, Niger July 28, 2023. They said they were committed to finding solutions through diplomacy and negotiation, but did not give details. Mali and Burkina Faso had previously vowed to come to Niger's defence if the regional bloc intervened, saying they would consider that a declaration of war against them. ECOWAS has said that the use of force would be a last resort if the soldiers do not step down and free Bazoum. The bloc's defence chiefs have agreed on a possible military action plan, which heads of state are expected to consider at their summit in the Nigerian capital, Abuja.

Persons: Abdourahmane Tiani, Balima, juntas, Antony Blinken, Mohamed Bazoum, Bazoum, Bola Tinubu, Nellie Peyton, William Maclean Organizations: REUTERS, United, United Nations, Economic, West African States, ECOWAS, . Security, Security, Niger, Thomson Locations: Niger, Niamey, NIAMEY, United Nations, Mali, Burkina Faso, Republic of Mali, Malian, States, Abuja

General Abdourahmane Tiani, who was declared as the new head of state of Niger by leaders of a coup, arrives to meet with ministers in Niamey, Niger July 28, 2023. REUTERS/Balima Boureima/File PhotoDAKAR, Aug 8 (Reuters) - Niger's regional and Western allies have announced a series of sanctions against the country following the July 26 coup. These sanctions have been imposed on Niger since the coup:WEST AFRICA REGIONAL BLOCThe Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the West African Monetary and Economic Union have imposed some of the most stringent sanctions on Niger so far since the coup. NETHERLANDSThe Dutch government, which was supporting development and security programmes in Niger, temporarily suspended its direct cooperation with the government following the coup. WORLD BANKThe World Bank suspended disbursements until further notice, except for private-sector partnerships which it said will continue with caution.

Persons: Abdourahmane Tiani, Balima, Bate Felix, Anait, Daphne Psaledakis, Gabriela Baczynska, Juliette Jabkhiro, Nick Macfie, Angus MacSwan Organizations: REUTERS, WEST AFRICA REGIONAL BLOC, Economic, West African States, ECOWAS, West, Monetary and Economic Union, Ivory, European Union, STATES, ., CANADA Canada, World Bank, Bank, Thomson Locations: Niger, Niamey, DAKAR, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, West Africa's, FRANCE France, France, Mali, Burkina Faso, NETHERLANDS, Dutch, United States, U.S, Africa, Washington, Brussels, Paris

☆ Calm pervades Niger's capital as deadline to reverse coup expires
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-06 | by ( Boureima Balima | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

An aerial view of the streets in the capital Niamey, Niger July 28, 2023. REUTERS/Souleymane Ag Anara/File PhotoNIAMEY, Aug 6 (Reuters) - Niger's capital was calm on Sunday, with citizens appearing to pay little heed to the threat of military intervention by West Africa's regional bloc, as its ultimatum for the country's coup leaders to reinstate the president expires. "I am not worried because I know that any military intervention by ECOWAS in Niger would be a loss for this organisation. ECOWAS did not respond to a request for comment on what its next steps would be, or when exactly on Sunday its deadline expires. Support for Niger's coup leaders from fellow juntas in neighbouring Mali and Burkina Faso could undermine the regional response.

Persons: Mohamed Bazoum, Hadjo Hadjia, Ouhoumoudou Mahamadou, Alessandra Prentice, John Stonestreet Organizations: REUTERS, Defence, Economic, West African, Sunday, Bazoum's, Thomson Locations: Niamey, Niger, NIAMEY, West, Central Africa, Russia, China, Mali, Burkina Faso, France

☆ Factbox: Military interventions by West African ECOWAS bloc
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The main regional bloc, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), has imposed sanctions and said it could authorise the use of force as a last resort if soldiers do not restore ousted president Mohammed Bazoum to power. Below are previous ECOWAS military interventions:LIBERIAIn 1990, West African leaders sent a neutral military force to Liberia to intervene in the civil war between the forces of President Samuel Doe and two rebel factions. West African forces were deployed again at the tail end of the brutal 14-year conflict, which finished in 2003. GUINEA-BISSAUIn 1999, ECOWAS sent around 600 ECOMOG troops to preserve a peace deal in coup-prone Guinea-Bissau. In 2004, they were integrated into a U.N. peacekeeping force.

Persons: Abdourahmane Tiani, Balima, Mohammed Bazoum, Samuel Doe, Charles Taylor, Ahmad Tejan Kabbah, Yahya Jammeh, Adama Barrow, Anait Miridzhanian, Alessandra Prentice, Kevin Liffey Organizations: REUTERS, Economic, West African States, ECOWAS, West, ECOWAS Monitoring, Human Rights Watch, Bissau . Rebels, Islamic, Restore, Thomson Locations: Niger, Niamey, LIBERIA, Liberia, SIERRA LEONE, Nigerian, Sierra, Freetown, GUINEA, BISSAU, Guinea, Bissau, IVORY, Ivory Coast, MALI, Mali, al Qaeda, Central, Northern Mali, Islamic State, Burkina Faso, GAMBIA, Gambia, Senegal

An aerial view of traffic on a street in the capital Niamey, Niger July 28, 2023. In a sign of this resistance to one-time allies, Niger on Thursday suspended broadcasts of French state-funded international news outlets France 24 and RFI - drawing condemnation from the French foreign ministry. One of the demonstrators in Niamey held a placard that said: "Long live Niger, Russia, Mali and Burkina. After their coups, Burkina Faso and Mali kicked out French troops, many of whom are now stationed in Niger. In Niger, there are signs that regional sanctions are starting to have an impact: Nigeria has cut power supplies to Niger, while Nigerien truckers have been stranded by border closures.

Persons: General Abdourahamane Tiani, Mohamed Bazoum, Tiani, crackdowns, Sall, Antony Blinken, it's, Allah, Sudip Kar, Gupta, Moussa Aksar, Camillus Eboh, Thiam, Tiemoko Diallo, Ange Aboa, Alessandra Prentice, Nellie Peyton, Alexander Winning, Emelia, Nick Macfie, Giles Elgood Organizations: REUTERS, Niger's, France, Economic, West African States, ECOWAS, Sunday, EU, National Assembly, Islamic, Niger, Reuters, West, Senegalese, U.S, United Nations, Nigerien, CFA, Thomson Locations: Niamey, Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, NIAMEY, ABUJA, France, West, Central Africa, Russia, Burkina, Down, al Qaeda, Islamic State, Niger ., Nigeria, Senegal, Nigerian, China, Paris

It has taken its hardest line yet with Niger, saying it had to show that it "cannot only bark but can bite". One of the demonstrators in Niamey held a placard that said: "Long live Niger, Russia, Mali and Burkina. France has between 1,000 and 1,500 troops in Niger, helping to fight an Islamist insurgency that has spread across the region. INTERVENTION PLANWest African defence chiefs meeting in Nigeria were due to conclude their discussions about possible intervention in Niger, although they have said this would be a last resort. The goal of the two-day meeting was to draw up a plan for an eventual military intervention to restore constitutional order, according to a statement from Ivory Coast's National Security Council.

Persons: General Abdourahamane Tiani, Mohamed Bazoum, Tiani, Ivory, Salifou Mody, Joe Biden, Nigeriens, Camillus Eboh, Thiam Ndiaga, Tiemoko Diallo, Ange Aboa, Alessandra Prentice, Nellie Peyton, Alexander Winning, Emelia, Nick Macfie, Giles Elgood Organizations: REUTERS, West, Economic, West African States, EU, Reuters, Ivory Coast's National Security Council, ECOWAS, juntas, Nigerien, Islamic, Thomson Locations: Niamey, Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, NIAMEY, ABUJA, West, Central Africa, Russia, Burkina, Down, France, Nigeria, Nigerian, West Africa, Guinea, Bissau, al Qaeda, Islamic State, Paris

☆ Niger coup leaders blamed insecurity; conflict data paints a different picture
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( Edward Mcallister | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

In Burkina Faso, where there were two coups last year, deaths rose 80% to more than 4,000 in 2022. Military spokespeople in Mali and Burkina Faso did not respond to requests for comment. Military leaders in Mali and Burkina Faso kicked out French forces after their coups. Niger army operations could falter, he said. "You saw it in Burkina Faso after the second coup.

Persons: Abdourahmane Tiani, Balima, Mohamed Bazoum, Ibrahim Yahaya Ibrahim, Wagner, Leonardo Santos Simao, Tiani, Simao, Bazoum, Ulf Laessing, Konrad Adenauer, Edward McAllister, Michelle Nichols, Alexandra Zavis, Giles Elgood Organizations: REUTERS, Security, Islamic, Crisis, Wagner Group, Reuters, spokespeople, United Nations, Economic, West, Sunday, Local, Military, Burkina Faso, European Union, Konrad Adenauer Foundation, Thomson Locations: Niger, Niamey, DAKAR, U.S, Mali, Burkina Faso, al Qaeda, Islamic State, West Africa's, Brussels, Boko, Nigeria, West Africa, West African States, Burkina, French, France, New York

It has yet to disburse a $131.5 million loan to Niger that was approved on July 5, it added. The interior minister, transport minister, and a deputy had already been detained, it added. The arrests confirm the "repressive and dictatorial" nature of the coup leaders, the party said in a statement, calling on citizens to come together to protect democracy. The arrests were announced a day after Chadian President Mahamat Idriss Deby arrived in Niger to try to mediate between the coup leaders and the ousted government. Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of Russia's Wagner mercenary group, last week welcomed the coup in Niger, and said his forces were available to restore order.

Persons: Niger's, Mohamed Bazoum, Mahamane Sani Mahamadou, Issoufou Mahamadou, Mahamat Idriss Deby, Deby, Bazoum, Ursula von der Leyen, Emmanuel Macron, Abdourahamane Tiani, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Russia's Wagner, Antonio Tajani, Boureima Balima, Abdel, Kader Mazou, Anait Miridzhanian, Bate Felix, Nellie Peyton, Sofia Christensen, Alexander Winning, Bernadette Baum, Andrew Heavens, Nick Macfie Organizations: International Monetary Fund, IMF, CFA, West, African Union, European Union, Islamic, Junta, Nigerien Party for Democracy and, Chadian, ECOWAS, EU, REUTERS, Twitter, French Foreign Ministry, Paris, White, Thomson Locations: NIAMEY, Niger, West, Central Africa, United States, France, Islamic State, al Qaeda, EU, U.S, Nigerien, Niamey, Mali, Burkina Faso, Russia, Niger's

Last week, Tiani, a general, used his position and manpower to do the opposite. "We cannot continue with the same approaches proposed so far, as it risks witnessing the gradual and inevitable disappearance of our nation," he said. Regional powers have threatened military intervention if he does not return Bazoum to power within days. Just last week, Niger, one of the world's poorest countries, was seen as the West's last ally in the region. The speed of change in Niger is evident in Tiani's biography.

Persons: Tiani, Abdourahamane Tiani, Mohamed Bazoum, Fatherland ,, Emelia Sithole, Edward McAllister Organizations: UN, College of International Security Affairs, Fort McNair, United Nations, Democratic, European Union, Reuters, National Council, Fatherland, State, Thomson Locations: France, Senegal NIAMEY, West, Central Africa, Mali, Burkina Faso, Filingué, Niger, Agadez, Morocco, Senegal, United States, Washington , DC, Ivory Coast, Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan, U.S

☆ West Africa threatens force on Niger coup leaders, French Embassy attacked
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-30 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

NIAMEY, NIGER - JULY 30: Coup supporters take to the streets after the army seized power in Niamey, Niger on July 30, 2023. (Photo by Balima Boureima/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)West African nations imposed sanctions and threatened force on Sunday if Niger's coup leaders fail to reinstate ousted President Mohammed Bazoum within a week, while supporters of the junta attacked the French embassy in Niamey. At an emergency summit in Nigeria to discuss the coup last week, leaders of the Economic Community of West African States called for constitutional order to be restored, warning of reprisals if not. ECOWAS and the eight-member West African Economic and Monetary Union said that with immediate effect borders with Niger would be closed, commercial flights banned, financial transactions halted, national assets frozen and aid ended. Military officials involved in the coup would be banned from travelling and have their assets frozen, it added.

Persons: Balima Boureima, Mohammed Bazoum, Mahamat Idriss Deby, Bola Tinubu Organizations: Anadolu Agency, Getty Images, Economic, West, Nigerian, West African Economic, Monetary Union, Military Locations: NIAMEY, NIGER, Niamey, Niger, Niger's, Nigeria, States

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