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CNN —Senegal’s outgoing president Macky Sall Friday said he would hold presidential elections “as soon as possible” one day after the West African country’s constitutional council ruled against his decision to postpone elections. “The head of state will conduct necessary consultations to hold the presidential election as soon as possible,” the statement added. Sall was under pressure to react once the top court Thursday rejected his bid to delay elections until the end of the year. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) urged all parties in Senegal to comply with the constitutional council’s decision. “No to presidential election postponement”, said another released opposition leader Aboubacar Djamil Sané of the PASTEF Party, who had been imprisoned for seven months.

Persons: CNN —, Macky Sall, “, ”, Sall, Babacar Gueye, Thursday’s, Pierre Goudiaby Atépa, Ousmane Sonko, ” Sonko, Cheikh Oumar Diagne, Diagne, Aboubacar Djamil Organizations: CNN, Constitutional Council, French, RFI, West African States, “, Senegalese, Truth, PASTEF Party Locations: Republic, Senegalese, Senegal

☆ 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

☆ Senegal was Africa’s poster child for democracy. Where did it all go wrong?
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-07 | by ( Stephanie Busari | Nimi Princewill | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —In a region plagued by volatility, Senegal had long been praised for its political stability. Senegal remains an outlier as the sole mainland West African country never to have experienced a military coup. Nobody wants democracy in Senegal to degenerate,” Ojewale said. “Senegal is the most enduring democracy in West Africa. Sonko’s opposition PASTEF Party, however, criticized the postponement of the election, describing it as “a serious threat” to Senegal’s democracy.

Persons: Macky Sall, Sall, Oluwole, ” Ojewale, Ojewale, “, Amadou Barry, ”, Sall’s, Ousmane Sonko, Karim Wade, Amadou Ba, Idrissa Seck, Sonko, Wade, Abdoulaye Wade, Malick Gackou, Aminata, Babacar, PASTEF’s Yassine Organizations: CNN, Sall, Institute of Security Studies, Ministry of Communications, Telecommunications, Amnesty, ”, Democracy, Constitutional, PASTEF Party, Senegalese, Amnesty International, Economic, West African States, French Foreign Ministry, United Nations Locations: Senegal, West Africa, West, Dakar, France, “ Senegal, ” Dakar, Senegal’s, ” France

☆ Senegal parliament to debate extending president’s mandate as protests break out
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-05 | by ( Story Reuters | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Reuters —Senegalese police on Sunday cracked down on protests against the postponement of the presidential election, as parliament prepared to debate a bill that would reschedule the vote for August and extend President Macky Sall’s mandate. “It (AU) strongly encourages all political and social forces to resolve any political dispute through civilized consultation, understanding and dialogue..,” the statement added. Senegal has never delayed a presidential vote and uncertainty about what happens next threatens to fuel further unrest like the deadly protests of recent years that have tarnished its reputation as one of West Africa’s most stable democracies. In one area, around 200 people retreated into side streets after police in riot gear fired tear gas and started detaining protesters. Further protests are planned outside parliament on Monday.

Persons: Macky Sall’s, Sall, ”, Moussa Faki Mahamat, Daouda Ndiaye, Anta Babacar Ngom, Aminata Toure, Macky’s, ” Toure Organizations: Reuters, Senegalese, Reuters . African, Economic, West African States, Sunday Locations: Senegal, West, Dakar

☆ 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

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Three West African nations of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger have withdrawn from the regional economic bloc known as ECOWAS, their respective juntas announced Sunday, accusing the bloc of “inhumane” sanctions to reverse the coups in their nations. The juntas said in a joint statement read on state television that they have “decided in complete sovereignty on the immediate withdrawal of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), alleging that the bloc has “moved away from the ideals of its founding fathers and pan-Africanism” after nearly 50 years of its establishment. “Furthermore, ECOWAS, under the influence of foreign powers, betraying its founding principles, has become a threat to its member states and its populations whose happiness it is supposed to ensure,” their statements read. It is the latest twist in a series of events that have deepened political tension in West Africa since it experienced its latest of a string of coups — in Niger — last year. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Persons: juntas, “ Organizations: Economic, West African States, ECOWAS, Associated Press Locations: ABUJA, Nigeria, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, West Africa, Niger —

☆ Niger debt default reaches $304 million due to sanctions- agency
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

DAKAR, Nov 14 (Reuters) - Niger has missed payments on interest and capital totalling 187.136 billion ($304 million) CFA francs since a July coup and its suspension from regional financial markets, data from the West African regional debt management agency showed on Tuesday. The West African monetary union debt management agency UMOA Titres said in a statement on Tuesday that the country had missed another interest payment of around 2.464 billion CFA francs ($4 million) on its debt. "This payment incident occurs in a context where the State of Niger is subject to sanctions taken against it by the conference of heads of state and government of the West African Economic and Monetary Union," the agency said. Niger has been suspended from the regional financial market, and the regional central bank by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the West African monetary union following a military coup in July that ousted President Mohamed Bazoum. ($1 = 615.5300 CFA francs)Reporting by Bate Felix; Editing by Andrew Heavens and Bernadette BaumOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: UMOA Titres, Mohamed Bazoum, Bate Felix, Andrew Heavens, Bernadette Baum Organizations: CFA, West, West African Economic, Monetary Union, Economic, West African States, ECOWAS, Thomson Locations: DAKAR, Niger, State

☆ Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger students in French visa limbo as relations sour
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-05 | by ( Layli Foroudi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

But as relations with some of the West African states turned bitter - prompting France to close its consular services in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger due to security concerns - long-standing cultural ties have also been strained. International law student Tondri Yara stood in front of a French visa centre in the capital Ouagadougou, hoping for some good news. Burkina Faso, Canada, Switzerland and Belgium are all viable alternatives, he said, although switching will likely delay the process. French authorities have assured that students, artists and researchers already in France remain welcome and would be allowed to pursue their activities. There were over 3,100 students from Mali, 2,300 from Burkina and 1,100 from Niger studying in French public institutions in 2021-22, according to data from French agency Campus France that promotes French higher institutions abroad.

Persons: Alphonse Nikiema, Emmanuel Macron, Nikiema, Tondri Yara, Yara, Alphonse, Alfred, Sofia Christensen, Bate Felix, Angus MacSwan Organizations: West, Burkina Faso, Campus, Reuters Newsroom, Thomson Locations: Burkina Faso, France, Mali, Niger, Africa, Russia, China, Burkina, West Africa Sahel, Ouagadougou, Canada, Switzerland, Belgium, Campus France, Paris

☆ Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso sign Sahel security pact
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Francis Kokoroko/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBAMAKO, Sept 16 (Reuters) - Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso, three West African Sahel nations ruled by military juntas, signed a security pact on Saturday promising to come to the aid of each other in case of any rebellion or external aggression. Mali and Burkina Faso have vowed to come to Niger's aid if it is attacked. "Any attack on the sovereignty and territorial integrity of one or more contracted parties will be considered an aggression against the other parties," according to the charter of the pact, known as the Alliance of Sahel States. "I have today signed with the Heads of State of Burkina Faso and Niger the Liptako-Gourma charter establishing the Alliance of Sahel States, with the aim of establishing a collective defence and mutual assistance framework," Mali junta leader Assimi Goita said on his X social media account. France has been forced to withdraw its troops from Mali and Burkina Faso, and is in a tense standoff with the junta that seized power in Niger after it asked it to withdraw its troops and its ambassador.

Persons: Assimi Goita, Mahamadou Issoufou, Francis Kokoroko, Mohamed Bazoum, Tiemoko Diallo, Bate Felix, Jason Neely Organizations: Economic, West African States, REUTERS, Rights, Islamic, West, Alliance, Thomson Locations: Accra, Ghana, Rights BAMAKO, Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, al Qaeda, Islamic State, West African States, Sahel, State, France, Chad, Mauritania

☆ Putin discusses Niger crisis with Malian leader Assimi Goita
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with the Pobeda (Victory) organizing committee via a video link in Sochi, Russia September 5, 2023. Sputnik/Mikhail Klimentyev/Kremlin via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSept 10 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday held a phone call with the interim leader of Mali, Assimi Goita, and discussed topics including anti-terrorism efforts and the crisis in Mali's neighbour Niger, the Kremlin said in a statement. According to the statement, the two leaders agreed that the crisis in Niger, where a July coup ousted President Mohammed Bazoum, could only be resolved by diplomatic means. West Africa's main regional bloc, The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), has previously threatened military intervention to restore Bazoum to power. Reporting by Felix Light; Editing by Hugh Lawson and Sharon SingletonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Mikhail Klimentyev, Assimi Goita, Mohammed Bazoum, Moscow's Wagner, Felix Light, Hugh Lawson, Sharon Singleton Organizations: Sputnik, REUTERS, Sunday, Kremlin, Economic, West African States, ECOWAS, Moscow's Wagner Group, Thomson Locations: Sochi, Russia, Kremlin, Mali, Mali's, Niger, Africa's

☆ Algeria proposes transition to resolve Niger crisis
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/Francis Kokoroko/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsAug 29 (Reuters) - Algeria is proposing an initiative to resolve the political crisis in neighbouring Niger with a six-month transition period led by a civilian, Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf said on Tuesday. Attaf, who recently toured West African states, said "most of the countries we have talked to are against military intervention to end the crisis". Algeria has repeatedly said it was against military intervention, pointing to the chaos that followed NATO action in Libya in 2011 during its uprising against longtime leader Muammar Gaddafi. Algerian officials have spoken three times since the coup to the Niger military leader, who wants a transitional period of up to three years, Attaf said. Last week Algerian state television said President Abdelmadjid Tebboune had denied permission to France for a possible military operation in Niger, but France denied it had sought any such permission.

Persons: Francis Kokoroko, Ahmed Attaf, Attaf, Muammar Gaddafi, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, Lamine Chikhi, Angus McDowall, Andrew Cawthorne, Alex Richardson Organizations: Defense, REUTERS, West, ECOWAS, NATO, United Nations, Thomson Locations: Republic of Niger, Accra, Ghana, Algeria, Niger, West African, Libya, Sahel, Algerian, France

CNN —The African Union has suspended Niger following the takeover of the West African country by a military junta on July 26. The council will review an assessment of the “economic, social and security implications of deploying a Standby Force in Niger,” it said. ECOWAS chiefs had initially given the junta a seven-day ultimatum to restore power or face consequences, including military action. That planned action did not happen as many attempts at dialogue and diplomacy have been made by ECOWAS and allies such as US and the European Union. The African Union affirmed its “solidarity” with ECOWAS’s efforts to restore constitutional order in Niger “through diplomatic means,” it said.

Persons: –, “, Security Abdel, Fatau Musah, General Abdourahamane Tchiani, Mohamed Bazoum, ” Organizations: CNN, African Union, Security, West, Economic, West African States, Force, European Union, Political Affairs, Peace, Union Locations: Niger, West, Republic of Niger, ”, Ghana

☆ US Ambassador Kathleen FitzGibbon arrives in Niger
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-19 | by ( Jennifer Hansler | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —US Ambassador Kathleen FitzGibbon arrived in Niger on Saturday, the State Department announced, taking up her post as the United States and partners continue to grapple with the military takeover in that country. “Ambassador Kathleen FitzGibbon has traveled to Niamey to lead our diplomatic mission in Niger and bolster efforts to help resolve the political crisis at this critical time. A source told CNN that one of the first things FitzGibbon intends to do is call Bazoum. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has spoken with the detained president numerous times, but Nuland was not permitted to visit him during her trip to Niamey. Nuland was also not granted a meeting with the self-proclaimed new leader of Niger, General Abdourahmane Tiani, and instead met with the self-proclaimed chief of defense, Gen. Moussa Salaou Barmou, and three colonels supporting him.

Persons: Kathleen FitzGibbon, Matthew Miller, FitzGibbon, Mohamed Bazoum, State Victoria Nuland –, Vedant Patel, ”, Bazoum, ” Patel, “, Antony Blinken, Nuland, Abdourahmane Tiani, Moussa Salaou Barmou Organizations: CNN, State Department, ”, State Victoria, Economic, West African, Senate Locations: Niger, United States, Niamey, West Africa, West African, West African States, ”, Nuland

[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

☆ Fact Check-Video shows military vehicles in Algeria, not Niger
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A video of a military parade in Algeria is being falsely claimed online to show the Algerian army arriving in Niger. Reuters verified the exact location of the video using satellite imagery to be in Algeria, not Niger. The column of military vehicles in the clip is travelling on the eastbound carriageway of Rocade Nord d’Alger, opposite a service point for logistics giant DHL. The military vehicles in the video also have posters with "60" stuck on them. The video shows military vehicles in Algeria, not Niger.

Persons: ”, Algeria’s, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, Read Organizations: Economic, West, Reuters, Rocade Nord d’Alger, DHL, Google, Vehicles, Algerian Locations: Algeria, Algerian, Niger, States, Rocade Nord

☆ ECOWAS sets ‘D-Day’ for possible military intervention in Niger
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( Niamh Kennedy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —The West African regional bloc ECOWAS says it has chosen an undisclosed “D-Day” for a possible military intervention to restore Niger’s democratically elected president following last month’s coup. Abdel-Fatau Musah, the Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace & Security of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) bloc, said that military forces are “ready to go anytime the order is given” for military intervention in Niger. “The D-day is also decided, which we are not going to disclose,” Musah told journalists after the two-day meeting of West African defense chiefs in the Ghanaian capital of Accra. Last week, ECOWAS ordered the “activation” of a regional standby force to prepare itself to enter Niger, which was taken over by a military junta on July 26. Leaders ECOWAS responded to the coup by enacting sanctions and issuing an ultimatum to the ruling military junta: stand down within a week or face a potential military intervention.

Persons: Abdel, Fatau Musah, ” Musah, Musah, ”, Mohamed Bazoum, Stringer Organizations: CNN, West African, ECOWAS, Political Affairs, Peace, Security, Economic, West African States, West, Nigerien, Getty Locations: Niger, Accra, Niamey, AFP, France

☆ Niger says 17 of its soldiers killed in ambush near Burkina Faso border
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( Moussa Aksar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"The swift reaction of the soldiers and the air-land response at the scene of the skirmish enabled the enemy to be dealt with," the ministry said. Niger hosts U.S., French, German and Italian troops as part of international efforts to combat the insurgency, under agreements with the now deposed civilian government. Insecurity remains a major problem across the southwest, near the border with Mali and Burkina Faso, both of which also have army governments that took control through coups. On the Malian side, the departure of French troops last year left a security vacuum that the Islamists have exploited. Mali's junta brought in mercenaries from Russia's Wagner group, who have been accused of executing civilians and committing other grave human rights abuses.

Persons: General Abdourahmane Tiani, Mohamed Bazoum, Tiani, Bazoum, Russia's Wagner, Wagner, Nellie Peyton, Anait Miridzhanian, Edward McAllister, Estelle Shirbon, Conor Humphries, Alexandra Hudson Organizations: West African States, ECOWAS, Islamic, United Nations, Alexandra Hudson Our, Thomson Locations: NIAMEY, Niamey, Burkina Faso, Niger, West Africa's, al Qaeda, Islamic State, U.S, Mali, Malian, France, Paris

☆ Niger junta says open to talks as Putin, US stress peace
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-15 | by ( Felix Onuah | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

REUTERS/Souleymane Ag Anara/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsAug 15 (Reuters) - Niger's junta on Tuesday said that it was open to talks to resolve a regional crisis caused by last month's military coup, while Russia and the United States called for a peaceful resolution. Singh declined to call the takeover a coup but said it "certainly looks like an attempted coup." Military leaders in Mali and Burkina Faso have kicked out troops from former colonial power France and strengthened ties with Moscow. Putin has called for a return to constitutional order in Niger, while Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin welcomed the army takeover and offered his services. Support for Russia has appeared to surge in Niger since the coup, with junta supporters waving Russian flags at rallies and calling for France to disengage.

Persons: Mohamed Bazoum, Ali Mahamane Lamine Zeine, Mahamat Deby, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Assimi Goita, Sabrina Singh, Joe Biden's, Singh, Bola Tinubu, Russia's Wagner, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Felix Onuah, Mahamat Ramadane, Idrees Ali, Nellie Peyton, John Stonestreet, Estelle Shirbon, Alexandra Hudson, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: REUTERS, West, Economic, West African States, ECOWAS, Islamic, Twitter, Military, Thomson Locations: Nigerien, Niamey, Niger, Russia, United States, Ghana, al Qaeda, Islamic State, West, Central Africa, Russian, West Africa's, Central Africa's, West Africa, Mali, Burkina Faso, France, Moscow, Bazoum, Western, U.S, Germany, Italy, Paris, Abuja, Chad, Washington

CNN —Niger’s junta claimed Sunday it had gathered evidence to prosecute the country’s ousted President Mohamed Bazoum for “high treason,” upping the stakes in their brinkmanship against key neighbors in West Africa who have vowed to restore constitutional order in the coup-hit country. Niger has been engulfed in political chaos since late last month, when Bazoum was ousted in a coup d’etat by the presidential guard. Increasing pressureWest African leaders have ramped up rhetoric against Niger’s coup leaders and ordered the “activation and deployment” of a regional standby force to restore constitutional order in the country. The source also said committee members would first meet among themselves via Zoom on Monday but did not make clear when they would meet with coup leaders. Guinea underwent its own military coup in 2021.

Persons: CNN —, Mohamed Bazoum, ”, Bazoum, Ahmed Idris Wase, “, Moussa Salaou Barmou, Mamadi Doumbouya, ” Doumbouya, Abdourahamane Tchiani Organizations: CNN, CNN — Niger’s, Nigerien, National Council for, Economic, West African States, ECOWAS, Sunday, Nigerian, United Nations, African Union Locations: West Africa, Niger, Africa, France, Mali, Burkina Faso, Guinea, Niamey, Guinea’s, Conakry

☆ West Africa bloc seeks ways to engage with Niger junta
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-13 | by ( Edward Mcallister | ) 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. REUTERS/Mahamadou Hamidou/File PhotoDAKAR, Aug 12 (Reuters) - West Africa's regional bloc kept up its search on Sunday for diplomatic ways to overturn last month's coup in Niger, while retaining the threat of military intervention amid a crisis that has sucked in global superpowers. U.S., French, German and Italian troops are stationed in Niger, in a region where local affiliates of al Qaeda and Islamic State have killed thousands and displaced millions. Western powers fear Russia's clout could increase if the junta in Niger follows neighbouring Mali and Burkina Faso, which ejected the troops of former colonial power France after coups in those countries. Reporting by Edward McAllister; Editing by Ingrid Melander and Hugh LawsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Mahamadou, Mohamed Bazoum, Bola Tinubu, General Abdourahamane Tiani, erodes, Edward McAllister, Ingrid Melander, Hugh Lawson Organizations: REUTERS, West African States, ECOWAS, Nigerian, al, Islamic, Thomson Locations: Niamey, Niger, DAKAR, West, Central Africa, United States, West Africa, U.S, al Qaeda, Mali, Burkina Faso, France

☆ Opinion: Russia capitalizes on Niger coup while US stands idly by
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-12 | by ( David A. Andelman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Two weeks ago, a military junta suddenly deposed Niger’s pro-American, democratically elected president. Already at least one leader of the Niger junta has met with Wagner representatives in neighboring Mali, where Wagner has developed a firm presence. Given the stakes, the initial responses by those who support Niger’s ousted president have been ill-considered and anemic. But the Wagner-supported ruling juntas in two of Niger’s neighbors immediately pledged to join with Niger’s military in fending off any such invasion, calling it a “declaration of war” against them. All have been grounded since Niger’s junta declared the entire country a no-fly zone.

Persons: David A, Niger’s, David Andelman, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin, Mohamed Bazoum, Bola Tinubu, Tinubu, ECOWAS’s, didn’t, Bazoum, Germany —, Putin, Antony Blinken’s, Victoria Nuland Organizations: CNN, French Legion of, The New York Times, CBS News, American, David Andelman CNN, Central African, West African States, ECOWAS, Wall Street, US, African Union, NATO, Russian, Wagner Group, Faustin, Twitter, Niger’s Locations: United States, Africa, Russia, Niger, Mali, Central African Republic, Sudan, Burkina Faso, African, Niamey, Sahel, South Asia, Afghanistan, East, North Africa, France, Italy, Germany

☆ West African regional group weighs next steps on Niger
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Niger's junta supporters take part in a demonstration in front of a French army base in Niamey, Niger, August 11, 2023. REUTERS/Mahamadou HamidouDAKAR, Aug 12 (Reuters) - West African leaders were weighing their next moves on Saturday as they seek to overturn a military coup in Niger that has rocked the region but also triggered a groundswell of support in the country. The rally began at a French military base in the capital Niamey, then protesters with signs and flags spread onto surrounding streets. "Down with France.... Down with ECOWAS," referring to the Economic Community of West African States. It was not yet clear how long the ECOWAS force would take to assemble, how big it would be and if it would actually invade.

Persons: Mohamed Bazoum, Russia's, Human Rights Volker Turk, Edward McAllister, Ingrid Melander, Mark Potter Organizations: REUTERS, ECOWAS, al, Islamic, Economic, West, Regional, African Union, European Union, United Nations, Human Rights, Thomson Locations: Niamey, Niger, DAKAR, West Africa, West, Central Africa, U.S, al Qaeda, Islamic State, Russia, France, Down, West African States, United States

☆ 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

☆ Fact Check-Video shows soldiers in Sierra Leone in 1998, not Niger in 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Footage of soldiers entering a village in Sierra Leone in 1998 has been miscaptioned online as showing Nigerian soldiers in Niger, where President Mohamed Bazoum was ousted in a coup on July 26, 2023. The old video clip, which has been overlayed with the false caption: “Nigerian army at Niger,” shows military personnel firing shots while entering the village of Goderich. It shows units of the Nigerian-led intervention force - Economic Community of West African States Monitoring Group (ECOMOG), taking control of Goderich, a rebel area adjacent to capital city Freetown, during a coup in Sierra Leone. The Sierra Leone video reappeared with the false caption in August as defence chiefs of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) mull over plans for the possible use of force to reverse the coup in Niger (here). A video showing African coalition forces responding to a civil war in Sierra Leone in 1998, has been mislabelled as relating to a 2023 coup in Niger.

Persons: Mohamed Bazoum, ECOMOG, Ahmad Tejan Kabbah, Read Organizations: Associated Press, Economic, West, States Monitoring, Reuters, Sierra, West African States Locations: Sierra Leone, Niger, Goderich, Nigerian, Freetown, mull

☆ Fact Check-Video of Kabul airport dates to 2021, not Mali and Niger forces in 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A video filmed at Afghanistan’s Kabul airport that dates to August 2021 is being shared in 2023 with a caption that falsely says it shows soldiers from Mali and Niger preparing to fight Nigeria and the Economic Community of West African States’ (ECOWAS). The claim is being shared after President Mohamed Bazoum was removed by Niger's military leaders on July 26, 2023. Reuters could not independently verify the source of the video, however, it predates the 2023 coup in Niger. It can be traced to August 2021 (here) when it was shared in relation to the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. Video of Kabul airport dates to August 2021, does not show Mali and Niger forces in 2023.

Persons: Mohamed Bazoum, “, ”, Bola Tinubu, Read Organizations: Economic, West, Reuters, Watch, Force, Kabul Airport Locations: Kabul, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, States, West, Central Africa, Afghanistan, U.S

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