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An armored vehicle escorting a MINUSMA logistic convoy from Gao to Kidal, is parked as trucks pass by, Mali February 16, 2017. Shortly after the last U.N. convoy rolled out, the ethnic Tuareg rebels announced they had taken over the base. The Tuareg rebels signed a 2015 peace agreement brokered by MINUSMA but maintained control of much of the north from Kidal. The first sign of trouble came in early August, when fighting broke out between Mali's army and Tuareg rebels around the U.N.'s camp in Ber in the north. As in Kidal, peacekeepers destroyed equipment before leaving that could have been transported in trucks earlier, if the government had allowed.

Persons: MINUSMA, Sylvain Liechti, jeopardising U.N, couldn't, Fatoumata Sinkoun Kaba, Yvan Guichaoua, Edward McAllister, David Lewis, Michelle Nichols, Mahamat, Alexandra Zavis, Daniel Flynn Organizations: UN, DAKAR, United Nations, U.N, Reuters, Authorities, Security, Islamic State, Department of Peace Operations, Department of Operational, Wagner Group, MINUSMA, University of Kent's Brussels School of International Studies, Thomson Locations: Gao, Mali, Kidal, West Africa, Malian, al Qaeda, Algeria, Mauritania, Ber, Tessalit, Algerian, Bamako, Dakar, Nairobi, New York, N'Djamena

Unable to afford a flight to Egpyt from Guinea, he drew a map of Africa in his spiral notebook and set off on a second-hand mountain bike. Four months and seven countries later, he is in Cairo with a full scholarship to Al-Azhar University, one of the world's oldest and most renowned Sunni Muslim learning institutions. Thousands of West Africans like Barry undertake risky journeys across the Sahara desert each year, searching for a better life. Barry arrived in Cairo on Sept. 5 and days later secured a full scholarship to Al-Azhar. He intends to return to Guinea when his studies are complete, to spread the faith that has taken him so far.

Persons: Mamadou Safaiou Barry, Barry, Barry pedalled, Azhar, Cooper Inveen, Alison Williams Organizations: Al, Azhar University, International Organization for Migration, CFA, Thomson Locations: Guinea, El Marg, Cairo, Egypt, CAIRO, N'DJAMENA, Egpyt, Africa, West, Chad, Mali, Burkina Faso, Togo, Benin, Niger, N'Djamena, Chadian, Sudan

But in an about turn, Macron announced on Sunday that the ambassador would return to Paris and French troops would leave. Two security sources in Niger said Itte had flown out of the country. Demonstrators hold placards and Niger's flags as they gather outside Niger's embassy in support of the President of Niger Mohamed Bazoum in Paris, France, August 5, 2023. Crowds of junta supporters have spent days camping outside a French military base to demand the troops' departure. Some analysts have expressed concern that the withdrawal of French troops from Niger could further hamper Western efforts to stem the violence, which has risen since the coups, and bolster Russian influence in the region.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron, Sylvain Itte, Mohamed Bazoum, Macron, Itte, Catherine Colonna, Yucouba Abdou, Abdou, Niger Mohamed Bazoum, Stephanie Lecocq, Paris, Abdel, Kader Mazou, Moussa Aksar, Michel Rose, John Irish, Sofia Christensen, Anait, Toby Chopra, Estelle Shirbon, Philippa Fletcher, Daniel Wallis Organizations: Niger, Quai, French, Nigerien, Reuters, REUTERS, France, Thomson Locations: Niger French, NIAMEY, Niger, Paris, France, Niamey, French, N'Djamena, Niger's, West Africa, Mali, Burkina Faso, Chad, Sahel

☆ Sudan: Ukraine's special services 'likely' behind strikes on Wagner-backed forces, a Ukrainian military source says
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( Victoria Butenko Nima Elbagir Gianluca Mezzofiore Tamara Qiblawi Allegra Goodwin Andrew Carey Pallabi Munsi Mahamat Tahir Zene Barbara Arvanitidis Alex Platt Lauren Kent | Victoria Butenko | Nima Elbagir | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

Covert strikes by Ukraine in Sudan would mark a dramatic and provocative expansion of Kyiv’s theater of war against Moscow. Aside from a string of Ukrainian drone attacks that hit deep inside Russian territory, Ukraine’s ongoing counter-offensive has been focused on the country’s occupied east and south. A high-level Sudanese military source said he had “no knowledge of a Ukrainian operation in Sudan” and did not believe it was true. What appears to be a DJI MAVIC 3 drone can be seen in the videos filming the drone strikes. Six drone strikes targeted pickup trucks driving on Shambat bridge.

Persons: Wagner, Sudan ”, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo –, Abdel Fattah al, Burhan, Wim Zwijnenburg, ” Zwijnenburg, Zwijnenburg, Hemedti, Gen, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, Wagner’s, General Khalifa, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Dmitry Utkin, Prigozhin’s, Prigozhin, Yunus, Bek Yevkurov, Andrey Averyanov, Dmytro Kuleba, ” Kuleba Organizations: Chad CNN, CNN, Sudanese, Kyiv, Rapid Support Forces, Ukrainian, Central African, PAX, AK, CAR, PMC Wagner, Reuters Analysts, Kremlin, Agence France, Presse Locations: Kyiv, Ukraine, N'Djamena, Chad, Ukrainian, Sudan’s, Russian, Sudan, Moscow, Omdurman, Khartoum, balaclava, British, al, Zurug, Russia, Africa, Mali, Central African Republic, Libya, Ombada, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Latakia, Bangui, “, Syria, Burkina Faso, St . Petersburg, Eritrea

☆ Chad president talks election challenges with US envoy to UN
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( Michelle Nichols | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, meets with interim Chadian President Mahamat Idriss Deby at the presidential palace in N'Djamena, Chad, September 7, 2023. REUTERS/Michelle Nichols Acquire Licensing RightsN'DJAMENA, Sept 7 (Reuters) - Chad's interim President Mahamat Idriss Deby spoke with the U.S. envoy to the United Nations about challenges to holding an election, the envoy said on Thursday, more than two years after bypassing the central African country's constitution to install himself as leader. Military leaders in Chad originally promised an 18-month transition to elections when Deby seized power after his father, President Idriss Deby, was killed on the battlefield during a conflict with insurgents, ending decades of authoritarian rule. Ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield - a member of President Joe Biden's cabinet - met with Deby in Chad's capital N'Djamena. Tensions have flared again on Chad's northern border with Libya, where fighting between rebels and the army subsided after president Idriss Deby was killed in 2021.

Persons: Linda Thomas, Mahamat Idriss Deby, Michelle Nichols, Deby, Idriss Deby, Joe Biden's, Thomas, Greenfield, Chad's, Ed McAllister, Josie Kao Organizations: United Nations, REUTERS, Rights, U.S, United, Military, Thomas, SAF, Rapid Support Forces, Thomson Locations: Greenfield, N'Djamena, Chad, Rights N'DJAMENA, United Nations, U.S, Chad's, France, Libya, Sudan

☆ US Sanctions Deputy Leader of Sudan's RSF Over Abuses
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( Sept. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +4 min

By Michelle NicholsN'DJAMENA (Reuters) - The United States is imposing sanctions on the deputy leader of Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) over human rights abuses, the U.S. envoy to the United Nations will announce during a trip to Chad's border with Sudan on Wednesday. Previous sanctions, levied on companies, also targeted the army. While the sanctions carry political weight, it is unclear that they would have any impact on the course of the current conflict. In June, the U.S. imposed sanctions on companies it accused of fuelling the conflict in Sudan. The U.S. Treasury Department targeted two companies affiliated with Sudan's army and two companies affiliated with the RSF, accusing them of generating revenue from the conflict and contributing to the fighting.

Persons: Michelle Nichols N'DJAMENA, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, RSF, Dagalo, Linda Thomas, Greenfield, Washington, Omar al, Bashir, Abdelrahim Dagalo, Abdel Fattah al, Burhan, Nafisa Eltahir, Daphne Psaledakis, Aidan Lewis, William Maclean Organizations: Rapid Support Forces, United Nations, Reuters, Thomas, SAF, United Arab, The U.S . Treasury Department Locations: United States, U.S, Sudan, West Darfur, Sudan's Darfur, Darfur, Chad, Khartoum, Hemedti, United Arab Emirates, Russia, The U.S

☆ Recent coups in West and Central Africa
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

BURKINA FASOIn January 2022, Burkina Faso's army ousted President Roch Kabore, blaming him for failing to contain violence by Islamist militants. Doumbouya became interim president and promised a transition to democratic elections within three years. CHADIn April 2021, Chad's army took power after President Idriss Deby was killed on the battlefield while visiting troops fighting rebels in the north. Deby's son, General Mahamat Idriss Deby, was named interim president and tasked with overseeing an 18-month transition to elections. But the coup leaders clashed with the interim president, retired colonel Bah Ndaw, and engineered a second coup in May 2021.

Persons: Gerauds Wilfried Obangome, Ali Bongo, Mohamed Bazoum, Abdourahamane Tiani, Burkina Faso's, Roch Kabore, Colonel Paul, Henri Damiba, Captain Ibrahim Traore, Mamady Doumbouya, Alpha Conde, Conde, Doumbouya, Idriss Deby, General Mahamat Idriss Deby, Assimi Goita, Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, Bah Ndaw, Goita, Hereward Organizations: REUTERS, Islamic, West, ECOWAS, Chadian, Mali's West, Thomson Locations: Libreville, Gabon, West, Central Africa, NIGER, Niger, al Qaeda, Islamic State, Mali, Burkina, BURKINA FASO, GUINEA, CHAD, N'Djamena, MALI

BURKINA FASOBurkina Faso's army ousted President Roch Kabore in January 2022, blaming him for failing to contain violence by Islamist militants. MALIA group of Malian colonels led by Assimi Goita ousted President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita in August 2020. But the coup leaders clashed with the interim president, retired colonel Bah Ndaw, and engineered a second coup in May 2021. Deby's son, General Mahamat Idriss Deby, was named interim president and tasked with overseeing an 18-month transition to elections. GUINEASpecial forces commander Colonel Mamady Doumbouya ousted President Alpha Conde in September 2021.

Persons: Mohamed Bazoum, Roch Kabore, Colonel Paul, Henri Damiba, Captain Ibrahim Traore, Assimi Goita, Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, Bah Ndaw, Goita, CHAD Chad's, Idriss Deby, General Mahamat Idriss Deby, Mamady Doumbouya, Alpha Conde, Conde, Doumbouya, Bate Felix, Nick Macfie Organizations: Economic, West African States, ECOWAS, African, BURKINA FASO Burkina Faso's, Mali's West, Chadian, GUINEA Special, Thomson Locations: DAKAR, Niamey, African Union, West, Central Africa, BURKINA FASO, MALI, Mali, N'Djamena, GUINEA

☆ Sudanese refugees in Chad risk losing aid as rainy season looms, says MSF
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

N'DJAMENA, June 12 (Reuters) - Thousands of Sudanese refugees who fled to Chad to escape fighting in their country could be cut off from humanitarian and medical aid during the approaching rainy season, medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) said on Monday. Rains will also bring a higher risk of waterborne and infectious diseases given poor access to clean water and sanitation, she said. Nearly 30,000 refugees are in Sila, where they lack shelter, water and food due to deficiencies in humanitarian assistance. One of the poorest countries in the world, Chad was already hosting close to 600,000 refugees before the latest Sudanese crisis. This has caused food and commodity prices to soar in areas already suffering from high levels of malnutrition, MSF said.

Persons: MSF's, Audrey van der Schoot, Rains, Chad, Mahamat, Sofia Christensen, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: United Nations, MSF, UNHCR, Thomson Locations: N'DJAMENA, Chad, Sudan, Sila, Central

☆ Over 200 people evacuated from Sudan to Chad, UN agency says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

GENEVA, April 28 (Reuters) - Chad conducted its first evacuation flights from Sudan carrying more than 200 people, including dozens of children, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Friday. The U.N. agency, which is assisting Chadian authorities with the arrivals, said in a statement that 226 people were on board two charter flights, including 39 children. IOM spokesperson Safa Msehli told Reuters that two more flights were arriving on Friday. She said the flights that landed in Chad on Thursday had students, elderly people, individuals with medical conditions and "extremely vulnerable families" on board. Reporting by Emma Farge; Editing by Gabrielle Tétrault-FarberOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Factbox: Countries rush to evacuate foreign citizens from Sudan
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

The Egyptian Foreign Ministry said on Thursday some 16,000 people had crossed from Sudan to Egypt, including 14,000 Sudanese citizens. The foreign ministry said those evacuated included not only French nationals but also Britons, Americans, Canadians, Ethiopians, Dutch, Italians and Swedes. Cyprus said it had activated a humanitarian rescue mechanism at Britain's request to let third countries use it for reception and repatriation of foreign citizens evacuated from Sudan. NETHERLANDSAbout 100 Dutch nationals have been evacuated from Sudan since Sunday, Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra said. IRANIran's foreign minister said on Saturday 65 Iranian citizens had left from Port Sudan, through Jeddah, to Iran.

☆ UN agency in Chad expects more refugees fleeing from Sudan
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-22 | by ( Mahamat Ramadane | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

N'DJAMENA, April 22 (Reuters) - The head of the United Nations' World Food Programme (WFP) in Chad said it expects to see more refugees fleeing across the border from Sudan to escape the fighting between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. Around 10,000 to 20,000 Sudanese have already crossed the border into Chad a week after the fighting began in Khartoum and other areas of the country. Honnorat said 400,000 Sudanese refugees who had already fled Sudan during previous conflicts are spread around the Chad border area in 14 camps. In the Sudan capital of Khartoum, desperate residents are trapped in their homes under bombardment and fighters roaming the streets. He added that most of those who arrived in recent days from villages along the border were women and children.

☆ Chad's freed rebel prisoners call for leader's release
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Mahamat Ramadane | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Mahamat RamadaneN'DJAMENA, April 19 (Reuters) - With the midday sun high over Chad's capital N'Djamena, Alhadj Barh embraced his wife for the first time in more than two years. It marked a new start for a man who, until earlier that day, had been in jail for fighting in a rebel army accused of killing the president. Barh was among a group of pardoned detainees to be released near the capital in early April. Another newly released detainee, former maths teacher and FACT member Ouckonga Guelmine Kemnda, said calls for unity would ring hollow without their release. Reporting by Mahamat Ramadane; Writing by Cooper Inveen; Editing by Alex RichardsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Chad disarmed Sudanese contingent which entered its territory on Monday - defence minister
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

N'DJAMENA, April 19 (Reuters) - Chad's army stopped and disarmed a Sudanese contingent of 320 soldiers who entered the West African country on Monday, Defence Minister Daoud Yaya Brahim said on Wednesday. Brahim told a press conference that the confrontation between the Sudanese might create new waves of refugees and added that maintaining security would become difficult. Chad's government closed its border with Sudan on Saturday and called for calm amid an apparent coup attempt in Khartoum by Sudan's main paramilitary group. The West African country's defense minister said that the country had hosted more than 400,000 Sudanese refugees in the past. Reporting by Mahamat Ramadane; Writing by Anait Miridzhanian; Editing by James Macharia ChegeOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Germany expels Chad's ambassador in tit-for-tat move
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BERLIN, April 11 (Reuters) - Berlin has ordered Chad's ambassador to Germany to leave the country within 48 hours in response to a similar move by the Central African country last week, the foreign ministry said on Tuesday. "In response to the unfounded expulsion of our Ambassador to Chad, we today summoned the Chadian Ambassador in Berlin, Mariam Ali Moussa, and called on her to leave Germany within 48 hours. Germany's ambassador to Chad, Gordon Kricke, was expelled from the country last week. The Chadian Communications Ministry said that the decision was a result of "non-respect of diplomatic customs". "Ambassador Kricke exercised his office in N'Djamena in an exemplary manner & has worked for human rights & the rapid transition to a civilian government in Chad," the German ministry said.

☆ Chad orders German ambassador to leave the country
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

N'DJAMENA, April 8 (Reuters) - Chad's government ordered the German ambassador to leave the country within 48 hours, it said in a statement, a decision sources said was motivated by his comments about Chad's delayed transition to civilian rule after a 2021 coup. "This decision of the government is motivated by the discourteous attitude and the non-respect of diplomatic customs," the country's Communication Ministry said on Twitter late on Friday. Two Chadian government sources said on Saturday that Ambassador Gordon Kricke had criticised delays in holding elections after the coup, and a ruling last year that will allow interim military leader Mahamat Idriss Deby to run in elections in 2024. Military leaders in the Central African country originally promised an 18-month transition to elections when Deby seized power after his father, President Idriss Deby, was killed on the battlefield during a conflict with insurgents, ending decades of authoritarian rule. Reporting by Mahamat Ramadane, Tom Sims and Joel Honore Kouam; Writing by Edward McAllister; Editing by Bill Berkrot and Toby ChopraOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Chad approves bill to nationalise assets ExxonMobil sold to Savannah Energy
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

N'DJAMENA, March 29 (Reuters) - Chad's parliament on Wednesday approved a bill to nationalise oil assets and rights acquired last year by Savannah Energy (SAVES.L) from ExxonMobil's (XOM.N) affiliate, Esso Exploration and Production Chad. In December, ExxonMobil closed the sale of its operations in Chad and Cameroon to Africa-focussed oil and gas producer Savannah Energy in a $407 million deal, but the Chadian government challenged the agreement. Out of 175 lawmakers present, 172 backed the law to nationalise the assets - a move Savannah vowed last week to contest. Chad's energy and hydrocarbons ministry said last week that all the relevant assets and rights would be nationalised, including hydrocarbon permits and exploration and production authorisations that belonged to the Exxon Mobil subsidiary. Reporting by Mahamat Ramadane Writing by Anait Miridzhanian Editing by Mark PotterOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Chad says it has nationalized all assets owned by Exxon Mobil
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

N'DJAMENA, March 23 (Reuters) - Chad has nationalized all the assets and rights including hydrocarbon permits and exploration and production authorisations that belonged to a subsidiary of Exxon Mobil (XOM.N), the Central African nation's energy and hydrocarbons ministry said in a statement on Thursday. Exxon Mobil said in December that it had closed the sale of its operations Chad and Cameroon to London-listed Savannah Energy (SAVES.L) in a $407 million deal, but the Chadian government contested the agreement, saying the final terms were different from what Exxon Mobil had presented. It warned that it may ask courts to block Savannah's purchase of Exxon's assets in the country and take further steps to protect its interests. Exxon's assets included a 40% stake in Chad's Doba oil project, which comprises seven producing oilfields with combined output of 28,000 barrels per day (bpd). Exxon Mobil and Savannah Energy were not immediately available for comment.

☆ Lahore is most polluted city, Chad worst among countries - survey
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Lahore's air quality worsened to 97.4 micrograms of PM2.5 particles per cubic meter from 86.5 in 2021, making it the most polluted city globally. Hotan, the only Chinese city in the top 20, followed Lahore with PM2.5 levels of 94.3, an improvement from 101.5 in 2021. While Chad had an average level of 89.7, Iraq, which had the second most polluted air for a country, averaged 80.1. Bangladesh's air quality improved from 2021, when it was tagged as the country with the worst air. The index was prepared using data from more than 30,000 air quality monitors in more than 7,300 locations in 131 countries, territories and regions.

☆ Chad agrees debt plan with creditors, including Glencore, minister says
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( Mahamat Ramadane | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

N'DJAMENA, Nov 11 (Reuters) - Chad has reached agreement on a plan with creditors, which includes Swiss commodities trader Glencore (GLEN.L), for its $3 billion external debt, which could pave the way for more IMF funding. It is also China's first participation in a finalised joint debt treatment deal with other creditors, a source close to the negotiations told Reuters. A third of the central African country's external debt of nearly $3 billion is commercial and concentrated in an oil-backed loan from Glencore. "We are pleased that all stakeholders have agreed on how Chad's external debt should be treated," a Glencore spokesperson said in an emailed statement. Chad's statement did not specify the terms of the debt relief agreement.

☆ Kidnapped French-Australian environmentalist freed in Chad, president says
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

N'DJAMENA, Oct 30 (Reuters) - A conservationist with dual French and Australian citizenship has been freed after he was taken hostage in Chad earlier this week, interim President Mahamat Idriss Deby said on Sunday. The man, who manages an oryx park on behalf of a conservation group, was kidnapped by unknown individuals in the northeastern Wadi Fira province on Friday. Deby announced his release on Twitter without providing any details on how it was achieved. "I am delighted with this happy ending," he said. Reporting by Mahamat Ramadane Additional reporting by Gus Trompiz in Paris Writing by Alessandra Prentice; editing by Barbara LewisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Hundreds flee massive flooding in Chad capital
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

N'DJAMENA, Oct 14 (Reuters) - Hundreds of inhabitants of Chad's capital N'Djamena have fled their homes due to massive flooding that has hit since Thursday, leaving parts of the city navigable only by boat. "I drove the children to school this morning and on my return our house was completely flooded with river water. In one area women have built an emergency camp out of thin wooden branches and cloth to provide shelter for their families. Floods are not uncommon during the central African country's rainy season, which usually runs from May to October in its southern regions. But this year the rains came early and were the heaviest in decades, quickly overwhelming drainage channels and waterways.

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