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CNN —A Swiss national and 13 Myanmar citizens were arrested by the military junta on August 8 for working on a film authorities say harms Buddhist culture and tradition, state-funded media has reported. According to the junta, all 14 people allegedly worked on the film “Don’t Expect Anything,” which was released on July 24 on YouTube and TikTok, Myawady Daily said. Myawady added that the junta believe that the film is intended to mislead audiences about Buddhists and Buddhist monks, and that it harms Buddhist culture and tradition. “The local Swiss representation is in contact with the relevant authorities,” the spokesperson added. A Dutch tourist was sentenced to three months hard labor in 2016 after unplugging a speaker relaying a sermon.

Persons: CNN —, Myawady, ”, unplugging Organizations: CNN, YouTube, Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs Locations: Swiss, Myanmar, Myawady, Yangon

☆ 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

☆ Exclusive: H&M probes Myanmar factory abuses as pressure intensifies
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( Helen Reid | Thomson Reuters | London-Based Reporter Covering The European Retail Sector Through A Global Lens. Focusing On Companies Including Adidas | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The BHRRC has been tracking allegations of workers' rights abuses in garment factories since the military junta took power in Myanmar, plunging it into political and humanitarian crisis. There have been 21 cases of alleged abuses linked to Inditex suppliers over the two-year period, and 20 linked to H&M suppliers, according to the report. The Myanmar Garment Manufacturing Association did not reply to a request for comment. It expects its final orders from Myanmar suppliers to ship before the end of this year, but has also increased its presence on the ground. H&M and Bestseller are among 18 brands that are part of the European Union-funded MADE project aimed at improving labour conditions in Myanmar's garment factories.

Persons: Inditex, Spencer, Primark, we've, Karina Ufert, Vicky Bowman, Bowman, Helen Reid, Vanessa O'Connell, Marguerita Choy, Emelia Organizations: Reuters, Zara, Human Rights Resource, Myanmar Labour News, Myanmar Garment Manufacturing Association, Ethical Trade, European Union, European Chamber of Commerce, Myanmar Centre, Responsible Business, Thomson Locations: Myanmar, British, MYANMAR Spanish, Danish

☆ Factbox: What you need to know about Niger's ousted president
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Niger's President Mohamed Bazoum participates in a Peace, Security and Governance Forum during the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit 2022 in Washington, U.S., December 13, 2022. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein/PoolAug 14 (Reuters) - Niger's ousted president Mohamed Bazoum was toppled by a military junta on July 26. Bazoum's victory in the 2021 election led to Niger's first transition from one democratically elected leader to another. Niger strengthened its alliances with Western powers under Bazoum, becoming a hub for French, U.S., German and Italian forces. Days before Bazoum was sworn in as president in 2021, a military unit tried to seize the presidential palace in an attempted coup.

Persons: Mohamed Bazoum, Evelyn Hockstein, Niger's, Bazoum, Mahamadou Issoufou, Abdourahamane Tiani, Alessandra Prentice, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Security, Governance, Africa, REUTERS, Islamic, Nigerien, International Crisis, West, United Nations, Thomson Locations: U.S, Washington , U.S, France, Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, al Qaeda, Islamic State, Nigeria, West Africa's, United States

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

☆ Niger’s Junta Vows to Prosecute Deposed President for Treason
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( Elian Peltier | More About Elian Peltier | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The military junta that seized power in Niger last month said over the weekend that it would prosecute the deposed president for treason, even as an intermediary said coup leaders were open to talks with West African counties that had threatened to intervene militarily, the first sign of a thaw after nearly three weeks of rising tensions. Since mutinous soldiers detained President Mohamed Bazoum of Niger on July 26, they have kept him isolated in his private residence in Niamey, the capital, with his wife and one of their sons; dissolved his government; and, according to U.S. officials, vowed to kill him if West African countries intervened militarily. On Sunday, the junta member acting as a spokesman, Col. Amadou Abdramane, said that Mr. Bazoum would face charges of “high treason” and “undermining the internal and external security of Niger” after the democratically elected president spoke with foreign leaders and international organizations while in detention. The coup in Niger last month set off one of the most severe political crises in recent years in West Africa, following a series of military takeovers in a region already troubled by Islamist insurgencies, some of the world’s most extreme effects of climate change and widespread poverty.

Persons: Mohamed Bazoum, Amadou Abdramane, Bazoum, ”, insurgencies Organizations: West Locations: Niger, West African, Niamey, West Africa

☆ 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

☆ As West African Leaders Meet on Niger Crisis, Few Options Are on the Table
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( Elian Peltier | More About Elian Peltier | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

West African leaders gathered on Thursday for a critical summit to address the crisis in Niger, where the mutinous soldiers who seized power more than two weeks ago have shunned mediation efforts and ignored an ultimatum to relinquish power. Hopes for an end to the stalemate were already dim before the junta on Thursday replaced the cabinet of the ousted president, Mohamed Bazoum, with a new government made up of 21 officials led by Ali Lamine Zeine, an economist and former finance minister. The two highest-ranking officials after Mr. Zeine are both generals and coup leaders. As the military junta strengthened its grip on power, envoys from the Economic Community of West African States, the 15-nation regional bloc known as ECOWAS that had threatened military intervention if Mr. Bazoum was not reinstated, convened in Nigeria, but their options appeared to be limited. The deadline to return Mr. Bazoum to power passed on Sunday, with few consequences so far, and the prospect of a military intervention to remove the new government appeared unlikely, according to most observers.

Persons: Mohamed Bazoum, Ali Lamine Zeine, Zeine, Bazoum Organizations: Economic, West Locations: Niger, West African States, Nigeria

ECOWAS responded days later by enacting sanctions and issuing an ultimatum to the ruling military junta: stand down within a week or face a potential military intervention. ECOWAS leaders have said their preference is to find a diplomatic solution to the crisis and would send in troops as a last resort. The regional bloc will “uphold all measures and principles agreed upon by the extraordinary summit held on Niger on 30th July 2023,” at which strong sanctions were decided against the military junta in Niger. Niger’s armed forces appeared to be preparing for possible military intervention this week, a military source told CNN. Confusion and concernSeveral analysts told CNN that a military intervention in Niger would probably not be imminent, as it takes time to assemble the ECOWAS troops.

Persons: Omar Alieu Touray, Mohamed Bazoum, Touray, it’s, Murtala Abdullahi, Bola Tinubu, Abdourahamane Alkassoum, ”, Cameron Hudson Organizations: CNN, West, Economic, West African States, ECOWAS, ”, Nigerien, Center, Strategic, International Studies Locations: Abuja, Nigeria, Republic of Niger, ”, Niger, ” Mali, Burkina Faso, Guinea, ” Abuja, Gambia, “ Niger

"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

Niamey, Niger CNN —Mohamed Bazoum, the democratically elected president of Niger, said he is being kept isolated and forced to eat dry rice and pasta by the military junta who overthrew him and are refusing to cede power despite international pressure. Nigeria supplies much of neighboring Niger’s electricity but cut off the power in response to the coup. All of the perishable food he was supplied with has since gone bad, and he is now eating dry pasta and rice. Nuland’s meeting Monday with senior coup leaders lasted more two hours, consisting of “extremely frank and at times quite difficult” conversations. CNN has requested comment from the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the French military.

Persons: Niger CNN — Mohamed Bazoum, Bazoum, president’s, State Victoria Nuland, Antony Blinken –, Abdourahamane Tiani, ”, Maj, Amadou Abradamane, Abradamane Organizations: Niger CNN, CNN, State Victoria, State Department, Protesters, Getty, United Nations, Economic, West African States, ECOWAS, Junta, TV5, Nigerien, Resistance Council, Republic, French Ministry of Foreign Affairs Locations: Niamey, Niger, Nigeria, Nigerien, France, N’djamena

☆ 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

☆ Fact Check-Niger’s finance minister is not crying man in viral video
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-07 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Niger’s Finance Minister Ahmat Jidoud is not the man shown crying in a widely shared video on social media. People posting the video on X, formerly known as Twitter (here), and Facebook (here) and (here), wrongly say it shows Jidoud weeping in the aftermath of this month’s coup. The video, however, can be traced back to social media posts from December 2021 that identify the person as Marou Amadou, Niger’s then justice minister (here) and (here). A video published in December 2021 by Medi1TV, a Moroccan TV channel, shows Amadou speaking at CERCASH’s launch (here). The video shows former Justice Minister Marou Amadou in 2021 and has nothing to do with the coup or the finance minister.

Persons: Ahmat Jidoud, Marou Amadou, Niger’s, Amadou, Mahamadou Issoufou, Read Organizations: Niger’s, Facebook, Center for Studies, Research, Human Security, Agence Nigérienne de Presse, Medi1TV, Reuters Locations: Africa, Moroccan

☆ Niger hangs in the balance as junta ignores ultimatum from West African bloc
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-07 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The 7-day deadline given by Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to the military junta on July 30 for the release and reinstatement of President Mohamed Bazum expired at midnight. Niger's coup leaders on Monday closed its airspace after an ultimatum from the Economic Community of West African States to reinstate elected President Mohamed Bazoum expired on Sunday night. The military junta calling itself the National Council for the Safeguarding of the Fatherland seized power on July 26 and detained Bazoum, with the commander of the country's presidential guard, General Abdourahmane Tchiani, proclaiming himself the country's new leader. Many foreign countries have already begun evacuating embassy staff and citizens from Niger, while the likes of the U.S. and U.K. have partially suspended aid programs. The 15-member ECOWAS gave the military junta one week to return the elected government to power and restore constitutional order, threatening the use of force if its demands were not heeded.

Persons: Mohamed Toumba, Mohamed Bazum, Mohamed Bazoum, Bazoum, Abdourahmane Tchiani Organizations: National Council for, Fatherland, Economic Community, West African States, Economic, West, National Council, European Union, ECOWAS, France Locations: NIAMEY, Niger, West African States, U.S, Russia, France, Nigerian, Niamey

Niamey, Niger CNN —Niger’s armed forces have been bringing in reinforcements to the capital to prepare for a potential invasion, a military source told CNN, just hours after the military junta running the country refused to abide by an influential regional bloc’s deadline to cede power. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) responded days later by enacting sanctions and issuing an ultimatum to the ruling military junta: stand down within a week or face a potential military intervention. A junta leader said Sunday that Niger’s armed forces would be closing the country’s airspace due to the threat of military intervention. Wagner forces have been contracted to help local defense forces against rebellions and insurgencies, and suppress opposition. Both countries are sending delegations to Niger’s capital Niamey, “in solidarity with the people of Niger,” according to the Malian Armed Forces.

Persons: Niger CNN —, Mohamed Bazoum, Bazoum, insurgencies, Wagner, “, ”, Yevgeny Prigozhin Organizations: Niger CNN, CNN, West African States, National Council for, French Foreign Ministry, Nigerien, Malian Armed Forces, Burkina Faso’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Locations: Niamey, Niger, France, United States, Russia, West Africa, Mali, Burkina Faso, “, ”, Burkina

☆ Niger: As critical deadline for military coup expires, the country's airspace closes due to 'threat of intervention'
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-06 | by ( Josh Pennington | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Niger’s airspace closed on Sunday, the day imposed as a deadline by a group of African countries for Nigerien military coup leaders to release power and reinstate the country’s democratically-elected president. As that deadline expired, Niger’s airspace closed due to “the threat of intervention from neighboring countries,” according to a video statement by Nigerien coup leader Colonel Major Amadou Abdramane. The military coup in Niger was launched late July. But outside Niger, the coup leaders’ actions were quickly condemned by the United States and some Western nations, as well as group of western African countries, which threatened force. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), a regional bloc, warned that if the military junta does not stand down, it could face possible military intervention and gave coup leaders until Sunday to cede power.

Persons: Major Amadou Abdramane, Mohamed Bazoum, “, ”, Abdel, Fatau Musah Organizations: CNN, Nigerien, West African States, ECOWAS, European Union, Political Affairs, Peace, Security Locations: Niger, United States, France, Niamey, Niger’s, Nigeria

☆ Niger's ousted prime minister hopes talks can end military coup
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/5] Niger's Prime Minister Ouhoumoudou Mahamadou speaks about the situation in Niger during an exclusive interview with Reuters, in Paris, France, August 5, 2023. Niger's military takeover, the seventh in West and Central Africa in three years, has rocked the western Sahel region, one of the poorest in the world, which has strategic significance to global powers. Still, as the deadline loomed, Bazoum's Prime Minister Ouhoumoudou Mahamadou believed a last-minute intervention was possible, he said in an interview in Paris. France said on Saturday it will support efforts to overturn the coup, without specifying whether its backing would entail military assistance for an ECOWAS intervention. Niger's neighbours Mali and Burkina Faso, where military juntas have also seized power in recent years, said they would support Niger in the event of military intervention.

Persons: Ouhoumoudou Mahamadou, Stephanie Lecocq, Niger's, Mohamed Bazoum, Mahamadou, Bazoum, General Abdourahamane Tiani, Abdel, Fatau Musah, Mahamadou shrugged, Julitte Jabkhiro, Michel Rose, Clotaire Achi, Louise Dalmasso, Edward McAllister, Jan Harvey Organizations: Niger's, Reuters, REUTERS, Economic, West African States, ECOWAS, Sunday, Bazoum's, Thomson Locations: Niger, Paris, France, Stephanie Lecocq NIAMEY, West, Central Africa, Niamey, Rome, China, Europe, Russia, Nigeria's, Abuja, Mali, Burkina Faso

☆ A Shrinking Footprint in Africa for France, the Former Colonizer That Stayed
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-05 | by ( Elian Peltier | More About Elian Peltier | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The country’s president, a trusted ally of France, was taken hostage in the presidential palace by his own guards in late July. A colonel in uniform appeared late Thursday on state television and announced that the military was ending its cooperation with France. The coups have fanned the flames of popular anger against France, a former colonial power that critics say never really let go of its former possessions. Now, France has become a scapegoat of sorts in a region buckling under the forces of poverty, climate change and surging Islamist militancy. “France did not see this coup coming, so they have not learned from Mali or Burkina Faso,” said Mujtaba Rahman, the managing director for Europe at Eurasia Group, a consultancy.

Persons: “, ”, Mujtaba Rahman Organizations: Protesters, French Embassy, Eurasia Group Locations: France, French, West African, Niger, Burkina Faso, Mali, “ France, Europe

CNN —France said it backs efforts by members of an African regional bloc to thwart the coup in Niger, as the clock ticks closer to a deadline for the new military junta to stand down or face possible military intervention. “The future of Niger and the stability of the entire region are at stake,” the French Foreign Ministry said in a statement. ECOWAS defense chiefs met in Nigeria this week to organize a collective response to the coup and plan a potential military response, which they say is a last resort. “We are determined to stop it, but ECOWAS is not going to tell the coup plotters when and where we are going to strike. “While this coup attempt is a tragedy for Nigeriens, its success would have devastating consequences far beyond our borders.”

Persons: CNN —, Mohamed Bazoum, ”, Security Abdel, Fatau, “, ” Bazoum Organizations: CNN, French Foreign Ministry, Economic, West African States, Political Affairs, Peace, Security, Washington Locations: CNN — France, Niger, Nigeria, ”, Niamey, Niger’s, ” France, France, United States

“I write this as a hostage,” Bazoum wrote in the Washington Post. Bazoum also cautioned that foreign aid makes up 40% of the national budget – and it would not be delivered if the coup succeeds. ‘Determined, optimistic’CNN has not been able to independently confirm the conditions under which Bazoum is being detained in his residence. Bazoum also warned of growing Russian influence in the Sahel region. “With an open invitation from the coup plotters and their regional allies, the entire central Sahel region could fall to Russian influence via the Wagner Group,” Bazoum wrote.

Persons: CNN —, Mohamed Bazoum, ” Bazoum, ”, –, Bazoum, “, ‘, Idrissa Waziri, he’s, ” Waziri, Waziri, Abdourahamane Tiani, Tiani, he’d, Wagner, Russia’s Wagner, Salifou Mody, Joe Biden, Patrick Ryder, evacuates Organizations: CNN, Washington Post, Burkina, junta, Nigerien, Wagner, Pentagon, US Defense Department Locations: Washington, Niamey, United States, West, “ Niger, Niger, Europe, France, Mali, Burkina Faso, Sahel

REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz/File PhotoWASHINGTON, Aug 4 (Reuters) - The U.S. is pausing certain foreign assistance programs that benefit the government of Niger but will continue giving humanitarian and food assistance, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Friday. "As we have made clear since the outset of this situation, the provision of U.S. assistance to the government of Niger depends on democratic governance and respect for constitutional order," Blinken said in a statement on Friday. West African defence chiefs have drawn up a plan for military action if Niger's coup is not overturned by Sunday. The U.S. Embassy in Niamey in 2021 said the Pentagon and State Department had provided Niger more than $500 million in equipment and training since 2012. Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; editing by Jasper Ward and Rosalba O'BrienOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Eduardo Munoz, Niger's, Mohamed Bazoum, Blinken, Bazoum's, Washington's, Joe Biden, Kanishka Singh, Jasper Ward, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: . Security, REUTERS, ., Embassy, Pentagon, State Department, Thomson Locations: New York, U.S, Niger, West, Central Africa, Niamey, Washington

☆ West African bloc seeks solution to Niger coup as deadline nears
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Thousands of anti-sanctions protestors gather in support of the putschist soldiers in the capital Niamey, Niger August 3, 2023. REUTERS/Mahamadou HamidouNIAMEY, Aug 4 (Reuters) - West African defence chiefs were set to wrap up discussions about possible intervention in Niger on Friday, as mediators from the regional bloc push coup leaders in Niamey to restore constitutional order before an approaching deadline. The military junta in Niger is locked in a standoff with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), which has taken its hardest stance yet on last week's ouster of President Mohamed Bazoum - the seventh coup in West and Central Africa since 2020. Niger's self-declared leader Abdourahamane Tiani has rejected the sanctions and said the junta will not back down against any threats. Later on Friday, the region's defence chiefs will officially end a multi-day meeting in the Nigerian capital Abuja about a possible military response that they have said would be a last resort.

Persons: Mohamed Bazoum, Abdourahamane Tiani, Tiani, Alessandra Prentice, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: REUTERS, Economic, West African States, ECOWAS, Islamic, Thomson Locations: Niamey, Niger, Mahamadou, NIAMEY, West, Central Africa, France, juntas, Mali, Burkina Faso, al Qaeda, Islamic State, Nigerien, Nigerian, Abuja

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

☆ Niger: Africa's latest coup is a headache for the West and an opportunity for Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( Stephanie Busari | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

An important Western allyThe coup in Niger has deprived Western nations, particularly France and the United States, of a key ally in a troubled region. The largest country in West Africa, Niger had been touted as a democratic success story on the continent and Bazoum was seen as a crucial partner in the fight against Islamist jihadists in the region. Carley Petesch/AP/FileThe French military also maintains two permanent bases in the Sahel region, one of which is in Niamey. “The former colonizers are trying to keep the people of African countries in check. Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and President of the Republic of South Africa Cyril Matamela Ramaphosa shake hands on the sideline of the Russia Africa Summit.

Persons: Mohamed Bazoum, Putin, France ”, Emmanuel Macron, “, Bazoum, Joe Biden, Washington “, Stringer, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, jihadists, Carley Petesch, ” Maman Sani, Oluwole Ojewale, …, ” Ojewale, ” Françafrique, Remi Adekoya, ” Adekoya, ” Wagner, Prigozhin, ” Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin, Republic of South Africa Cyril Matamela Ramaphosa, Mikhail Metzel, Ibrahim Traore, ”, ” Traore, Ojewale Organizations: CNN, West, Kremlin, ISIS, Africa Center, Strategic Studies, European Union, World Nuclear Association ., Institute for Security Studies, Central African, CFA, Banque de France, UK’s York University, Russia Africa Summit, ISS Locations: Niger, Niamey, France, Paris, United States, Western, Africa, Russia, Moscow, Russian, Mali, West Africa, Nigerien, al Qaeda, US, Agadez, Sahel, Burkina Faso, West, Central Africa, China, Ukraine, Sudan, Central African Republic, Mozambique, Libya, St . Petersburg, Somalia, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Republic of South Africa

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

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