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☆ Mali’s PM fired after criticizing prolonged junta rule, state TV says
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-20 | by ( Story Reuters | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

BAMAKO, Mali Reuters —Mali’s Prime Minister Choguel Maiga has been fired, state television ORTM said on Wednesday of the civilian who criticized the ruling junta’s failure to organize elections within a promised 24-month transition back to democracy. “It’s all happening in total secrecy, without the prime minister’s knowledge,” Maiga told reporters on Saturday. His comments sparked tensions with the junta, forcing it to postpone a ministerial council meeting planned for Wednesday, a source close to Maiga told Reuters. Maiga had fervently defended Mali’s junta as West African neighbors and international allies criticized its military cooperation with Russian mercenaries and repeated election delays. Before being named prime minister in 2021, Maiga served as Mali’s commerce minister under former President Amadou Toumani Toure and as digital economy minister under former President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita.

Persons: Choguel Maiga, ORTM, Maiga, ” Maiga, Assimi Goïta, Amadou Toumani Toure, Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, Keita Organizations: Mali Reuters — Mali’s, Reuters, Russian Locations: BAMAKO, Mali, West

☆ US military completes withdrawal from Niger
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-16 | by ( Haley Britzky | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —The US military completed its withdrawal from Niger on Sunday, US Africa Command announced in a news release. The US had previously said that the withdrawal would be complete by September 15. The withdrawal comes months after Niger’s military government — which took power in a coup in 2023 — ended an agreement signed with the US that allowed military personnel and civilian staff from the Department of Defense to operate in Niger. A Niger military spokesman said in March that the agreement “is not only profoundly unfair in its substance but it also does not meet the aspirations and interests of the Nigerien people.”The announcement was made just days after a US delegation visited Niger in March. Those concerns were only furthered when, weeks after Niger announced the end of its military agreement with the US, Russian forces were operating out of the same military base as US troops in the country.

Persons: Sabrina Singh, ” AFRICOM, ”, —, Major Amadou Abdramane, Michael Langley, Celeste Wallander, “, ” Abdramane, Singh, Russia “, ” Langley, Chris Maier Organizations: CNN, Africa Command, Air Base, US, Pentagon, U.S . Africa, Department of Defense, US Special Forces, ” CNN, US Africa Command, American, Russian Federation, Niger, Islamic State, US Department of Defense, Nigerien Ministry of National Defense Locations: Niger, Niamey, Agadez, U.S, Nigerien, Russia, Africa, Russian, al Qaeda

CNN —Former Senegalese Prime Minister Amadou Ba has conceded defeat to leading opposition figure Bassirou Diomaye Faye in the western African country’s presidential elections. “I wish him lots of success and success for the well-being of the Senegalese people,” he added. Several opposition candidates in Sunday’s election conceded defeat to Faye earlier. Faye was also congratulated early Monday by another presidential candidate, Khalifa Sall. Official results will be announced by Saturday at the latest, according to an official from Senegal’s Autonomous National Electoral Commission.

Persons: Amadou Ba, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, Bassirou Diomaye Diakhar Faye, “, Macky Sall, Faye, Ba, Futurs Médias, Anta Babacar Ngom, ”, Faye “, Khalifa, . Ba, kickstart, Ousmane Sonko, Sonko, Sall, – Organizations: CNN —, Senegalese, Saturday, Senegal’s, Electoral Commission Locations: Ba, Senegal, .

☆ Young Opposition Candidate Wins Senegal’s Presidential Election
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-25 | by ( Ruth Maclean | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

With the concession of his main rival, a young political outsider backed by a powerful opposition figure has won a surprise outright victory in Senegal’s presidential election only 10 days after being released from jail. Bassirou Diomaye Faye is the anointed candidate of Senegal’s popular and controversial opposition politician Ousmane Sonko. Mr. Faye’s main rival, the governing party candidate Amadou Ba, conceded in a statement congratulating his rival on Monday for winning in the first round. Mr. Faye, who celebrated his 44th birthday on Monday, will become the West African country’s youngest ever president. “I wish him a lot of success, for the well-being of the Senegalese people,” Mr. Ba said in a statement released Monday afternoon that addressed Mr. Faye as president.

Persons: Bassirou Diomaye Faye, Ousmane Sonko, Faye’s, Amadou Ba, Faye, “, Ba Organizations: African country’s

☆ Senegal goes to the polls as country’s once sturdy democracy looks shaky
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-23 | by ( Nimi Princewill | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

CNN —Senegalese voters will choose their next president on Sunday in a delayed and high-stakes election that poses a test for the country’s democracy. A long list of candidates are running, but two former tax inspectors - one representing the government, the other the main opposition coalition - are considered frontrunners. Just over seven million of Senegal’s 18 million people are registered to vote in this election, the country’s electoral body said. It shows how desperate these young people are due to the failure of President Sall to create employment,” Thior said. The ruling coalition candidate Ba kicked off his campaign promising “massive employment” for young people and improving the “purchasing power of households” by creating thousands of jobs.

Persons: Macky Sall, –, Sall, “, ”, Zohra Bensemra, Ousmane Sene, Mamadou Thior, Sall’s, Amadou Ba, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, Ousmane Sonko, jeopardizing, Sonko, kickstart, Carmen Abd Ali, Faye, John Wessels, Thior, “ We’re, “ Thior, Idrissa Seck, ” Faye, Ba, Michele Cattani, ” Thior, ” Sene Organizations: CNN, Senegalese, BBC, ”, Reuters, West African Research Center, firebrand, president's Alliance, Republic, Getty, Sonko, International Organization for, International Monetary Fund Locations: West African, Senegal, ” Senegal, Dakar, Senegalese, Diourbel, AFP, Republic, Medina, Canary, Europe, Spain, Nicaragua, “

☆ Senegal Election 2024: What You Need to Know
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-19 | by ( Ruth Maclean | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Senegal, with a ticking economy, is seen as a stable, safe country — no small feat in western Africa, where coups, crises and insurgencies abound. But then the president, Macky Sall, blew up any chance of a mundane election. He went on state television and canceled the vote, alleging corruption in the way candidates were approved by constitutional court. And then, in a dramatic move, he released the leading opposition candidate and the leader of the opposition party from prison. Then there are 17 other candidates, among them former mayors and prime ministers.

Persons: Macky, Sall backtracked, Amadou Ba, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, He’s, Ousmane Sonko Locations: Senegal, Africa

The intensifying military cooperation between Russia and Niger is central to the dispute between the US and the Nigerien junta, officials said. Russia and Niger agreed to strengthen their military ties in January, Russia’s Defense Ministry said at the time. If the US were forced to withdraw, counterterrorism efforts across the region could take a hit, officials said. In return, Russia is profiting off the region’s natural resources, another official said, including the gold mines in Niger. Several European countries shared this goal, offering a measure of support to the junta, the official noted.

Persons: Michael Langley, Celeste Wallander, Col, Maj, Amadou Abdramane, Langley, Matthew Miller, ” Miller, what’s, Nusrat al, “ Organizations: CNN, US Africa Command, Air Base, American, Nigerien, Russia’s Defense, EU, Pentagon, Kremlin, West, Russian Federation, National Council, Wagner, US Locations: Africa, Russia, Africa . Niger, Niger, United States, America, Nigerien, Sahel, stoking, China, Russian, Central Africa, ”, Niamey, US, Agadez, Mali, Burkina Faso, Abdramane, Western Africa, Northwest Africa

☆ Niger ends military agreement with US, calls it ‘profoundly unfair’
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-16 | by ( Mitchell Mccluskey | Heather Chen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Niger’s military government announced that it has ended an accord with the US that allowed military personnel and civilian staff from the Department of Defense to operate in Niger – days after holding high-level talks with US diplomatic and military officials this week. “This agreement is not only profoundly unfair in its substance but it also does not meet the aspirations and interests of the Nigerien people,” he said. Senior Pentagon officials believe that keeping a presence in Niger is vital to efforts to tackle terrorism in the region. In a letter sent to Congress in December 2023, President Joe Biden noted that approximately 648 US military personnel remain deployed to Niger. During meetings, Nigerien and American officials discussed the military transition in Niger and military cooperation between the two countries, Abdramane said.

Persons: CNN —, Major Amadou Abdramane, –, ”, Joe Biden, Abdramane, “, ” Abdramane, Niger “ Organizations: CNN, Department of Defense, American Department of Defense, Nigerien, US, Niger . Senior Pentagon, Pentagon, American, US Department of Defense Locations: Niger, United States, Republic of Niger, CNN Niger, Niger ., US, Nigerien, Russia, Iran

NIAMEY, Niger (AP) — Niger's junta said Saturday the U.S. military presence in the country is no longer justified, making the announcement on state television after holding high-level talks with U.S. diplomatic and military officials this week. He said Niger was suspending military cooperation with Washington and added that U.S. flights over the country’s territory in recent weeks were illegal. The U.S. has also invested years and hundreds of millions of dollars in training Niger's military. Photos You Should See View All 60 ImagesThe Niger junta spokesman said the U.S. tone was condescending and threatened Niger's sovereignty. The U.S. military had some 650 personnel working in Niger in December, according to a White House report to Congress.

Persons: — Niger's, Maj, Amadou Abdramane, Niger's, Mohammed Bazoum, Molly Phee, Michael Langley, Phee, Jessica Donati Organizations: U.S, Washington, European Union, military's, Command, Niger, Associated Press Locations: NIAMEY, Niger, U.S, Africa's Sahel, Agadez, Niamey, Washington, Africa, France, Dakar, Senegal

☆ Senegal sets election date after protests sparked by delay
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-06 | by ( Mitchell Mccluskey | Nimi Princewill | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —Senegalese President Macky Sall has scheduled the country’s presidential election for March 24, the government said in a statement on Wednesday. “The President of the Republic informed the Council of Ministers that the date of the presidential election has been set for Sunday, March 24, 2024,” the statement read. However, Senegal’s Constitutional Council barred his attempts to delay the election, ruling that it must be held before April 2, when Sall’s second and final term expires. In a communique from the council of ministers, Ba “reaffirmed his support” for Sall’s decisions and “reiterated his thanks and gratitude” for the president. Nineteen candidates are registered to run in the election, according to the Constitutional Council.

Persons: Macky Sall, “, Sall, Amadou Ba, Sidiki Kaba, Ba “, ” Organizations: CNN, of Ministers, Sunday, Sall, Council, Interior, Constitutional Council Locations: Republic, West African

☆ Ivory Coast Seizes 100 Tons of Cocoa at the Border With Guinea
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-16 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

That compares with 1,000 CFA francs a kilogram in Ivory Coast, where the price is fixed and guaranteed throughout the year. Global cocoa prices have hit record highs in recent months amid worries about a bean deficit this season and with concerns growing for the next. Ivory Coast and neighbouring Ghana, the world's second biggest producer, have said smuggling hampers their effort to meet their yearly production target. "This year, despite the high price in both countries compared to Ivory Coast, there is less leakage... People are really finding it hard to get cocoa out of Ivory Coast," said Abel Gbale, a cocoa buyer in Danane, the country's last major town before the borders with Liberia and Guinea. Amadou Konate, a cocoa buyer based in Man, the main city in western Ivory Coast, said cocoa producers earn nothing from smuggling and the middlemen pocket all the money.

Persons: Ivory Coast's, Yves Brahima Kone, Kone, Abel Gbale, Amadou Konate, Ange Aboa, Anait Miridzhanian, Bate Felix, Frances Kerry Organizations: Ivory, Cocoa Council, CFA, Reuters Locations: ABIDJAN, Guinea, West African, Liberia, Ivory Coast's, Ivory Coast, Sipilou, Ghana, Danane

☆ Brahim Díaz scores ‘incredible’ goal to hand Real Madrid advantage in Champions League round of 16 tie
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-14 | by ( Ben Church | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Brahim Díaz scored a sensational goal on Tuesday to earn an injury-plagued Real Madrid a 1-0 win and the advantage in its Champions League last-16 tie against RB Leipzig. After the host had kept the 14-time European champion at bay in the first half, Díaz broke the deadlock in the 48th minute. He scored a spectacular goal, it was incredible,” Carlo Ancelotti told reporters, speaking about Díaz’s performance. Madrid goalkeeper steps upIn truth, a depleted Los Blancos looked far short of their fluent best and can thank its third-choice goalkeeper Andriy Lunin for helping win the match. Elsewhere in the Champions League, reigning champion Manchester City beat FC Copenhagen 3-1 in the first leg of its last-16 tie.

Persons: Brahim Díaz, Díaz, Jude Bellingham, ” Carlo Ancelotti, Alexander Hassenstein, Bellingham, Antonio Rüdiger, ” Bellingham, Andriy Lunin, Amadou Haidara’s, Andriy, Lunin, Benjamin Šeško’s, Šeško, Benjamin Henrichs, –, Santiago Bernabéu, Kevin De Bruyne Organizations: CNN, Real Madrid, Champions League, RB Leipzig, Santiago, Italian, AC Milan, Twitter, Madrid, Reuters, ”, League, Manchester City, FC Copenhagen, English Premier League Locations: Madrid, Leipzig, Ukrainian, ” Leipzig, Belgian

☆ 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

☆ What’s the Best Gift You Ever Received? Here’s 6 Replies.
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( Kathleen Beckett | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Best gift ever On his departure from the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, staff members, friends and board members presented him with a textile sculpture by the French artist Simone Pheulpin, who was the subject of an exhibition there in late 2021. “This sculpture is, for me, a talisman,” Mr. Gabet wrote, “both a remembrance of nine years of my professional and personal life, a wonderful and powerful art work, but also the objet d’art which will accompany me for the forthcoming years of my life.”Image The textile sculpture by the French artist Simone Pheulpin that was given to Olivier Gabet. Best gift ever “When I was in elementary school, after moving to Paris from Niger, I was gifted with Amadou Hampâté Bâ’s memoir, ‘Amkoullel, L’Enfant Peul,’ by my father. Like the author, I have Peul (or Fulani) heritage and roots in the Sahel region of West Africa. I felt a deep pull while reading, like a multitude of secrets I had yet to unfold.”

Persons: Simone Pheulpin, Mr, Gabet, “, Olivier Gabet, ‘ Les, Anne Dion, ” Tatiana Kombo Ms, Kombo, Amadou Hampâté Bâ’s, ‘, L’Enfant Organizations: Arts Locations: French, Paris, ’, Niger, Sahel, West Africa

The two Africa-based vaccine manufacturers are receiving $5 million each in funding from the foundation, while another $10 million is earmarked for other companies that have not yet been named. Political Cartoons View All 1202 ImagesThe mRNA vaccine technology came to the forefront with the production of COVID-19 vaccines made by Pfizer and Moderna. Those COVID-19 mRNA vaccines were fast-tracked through the regulatory process and granted emergency use authorization. The new vaccines under development in Africa face a far longer development timeline — anywhere from three to seven years. It has spent billions of dollars to vaccinate against polio, treat and prevent malaria and HIV and more recently advance vaccines for diseases like cholera.

Persons: Melinda Gates, Bill Gates, “, Dr, Amadou Sall, ” Sall, COVID, ” Jose Castillo, ___ Mark Carlson Organizations: Melinda Gates Foundation, Associated Press, Institut Pasteur, Quantoom Biosciences, Pfizer, Moderna, Gates Foundation Locations: DAKAR, Senegal, Africa, Dakar, South Africa, Belgium, Crimean, Congo, Nivelles

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — The military government that seized power in Niger has accused United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres of “obstructing” the West African nation's full participation at the U.N.'s annual meeting of world leaders in order to appease France, Niger's former colonizer, and its allies. The junta had wanted Niger’s former ambassador to the United Nations, Bakary Yaou Sangare, who was made foreign minister after the coup, to speak on its behalf at the General Assembly. The deposed president appealed to a regional court this week to order his release and reinstatement as president. Bazoum took office in 2021 in the country's first transfer of power between elected leaders since the country's independence from France in 1960. ECOWAS has said it considers a military intervention an option for restoring Bazoum as president.

Persons: Antonio Guterres, Col, Maj, Amadou Abdramane, Mohamed Bazoum, Bakary Yaou Sangare, Bakary, ” Stéphane, Guterres, Hassoumi Massoudou, ”, France, ” Abdramane, Bazoum Organizations: United Nations, African, General Assembly, General, Nigerien, European Union, West African, ECOWAS Locations: ABUJA, Nigeria, Niger, France, New York, Bazoum

REUTERS/Mahamadou Hamidou Acquire Licensing RightsTOLEDO, Spain, Aug 31 (Reuters) - European Union foreign ministers meet in Spain on Thursday to discuss their response to last month's coup in Niger - including possible sanctions - as they also consider news of military officers declaring they have seized power in Gabon. Borrell said the EU was "moving forward" with work on a legal framework for sanctions against the junta in Niger and the foreign ministers would discuss it further on Thursday. Both the EU and ECOWAS have already imposed punitive economic and political measures on Niger but the framework would allow the EU to target specific individuals and organisations. Borrell said on Wednesday after an EU defence ministers' meeting that the EU would seek to mirror any measures taken by ECOWAS. Diplomats said another subject of discussion was how the EU should respond if ECOWAS asks for financial help for a military intervention to restore Niger's ousted government.

Persons: Ibro Amadou, Mahamadou, Dmytro Kuleba, Hassoumi Massoudou, Niger's, Omar Touray, Josep Borrell, Borrell, David Latona, Andrew Gray, Shri Navaratnam Organizations: Nigerien, REUTERS, Rights, Union, Ukrainian Foreign, ECOWAS, Wednesday, West, EU, Diplomats, Thomson Locations: Niamey, Niger, Rights TOLEDO, Spain, Gabon, West, Central, Toledo, Ukraine, West Africa's, EU

☆ Mali president signs new mining code in bid to raise govt stake
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A mining ministry official said last week that this would depend on the implementing decrees, which have not yet been made available. Mali is one of Africa's top gold producers and is home to mining companies including Barrick Gold (ABX.TO), B2GOLD(BTO.TO), Resolute Mining (RSG.AX) and Hummingbird Resources (HUMR.L). "The shortfall is around 300 to 600 billion CFA. "When we go into negotiations with the companies, it is possible that we will obtain 300 to 400 billion," he said. "From now on, for the sake of transparency and inclusiveness, mining titles will be signed by several ministers (finance, mining, environment, etc.

Persons: Assimi Goita, Alousseni Sanou, Sanou, Amadou Keita, Goita, Tiemoko Diallo, Nellie Peyton, Sharon Singleton Organizations: Barrick, Resolute Mining, Hummingbird Resources, Mali's Finance, CFA, Mining, Thomson Locations: BAMAKO, Mali

☆ Niger junta: ousted president could be prosecuted for high treason
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] Niger's President Mohamed Bazoum addresses the 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly at U.N. Headquarters in New York City, U.S., September 22, 2022. REUTERS/Mike Segar/File PhotoNIAMEY, Aug 14 (Reuters) - The junta that seized power in Niger in a July 26 coup said late on Sunday that ousted President Mohamed Bazoum could be prosecuted for high treason. Colonel Amadou Abdramane, a spokesperson for the junta, said on state TV that it had "assembled the necessary elements to prosecute the ousted president ... for high treason and undermining the internal and external security of Niger." The bloc's parliament on Saturday said it wanted to send a committee to meet the junta in Niamey. Writing by Anait Miridzhanian and Alessandra Prentice; Editing by Alexander Winning and Lincoln FeastOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Mohamed Bazoum, Mike Segar, Bazoum, Amadou Abdramane, Anait Miridzhanian, Alessandra Prentice, Alexander Winning Organizations: United Nations General Assembly, REUTERS, Sunday, ECOWAS, Security, Central, Thomson Locations: U.N, New York City, U.S, NIAMEY, Niger, West, Niamey, Union

☆ 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

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

☆ 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

This account of how Niger's coup unfolded is based on 15 interviews with Nigerien security officials, politicians, as well as current and former Western government officials. In his first address following the July 26 coup, Tiani said he had ousted the president for the good of the country. But in recent months, Bazoum had curtailed the size of the presidential guard, which was about 700-strong at the time of the coup, and started to scrutinize its budget. Issoufou was elected in 2011, a year after a previous military coup. Almost all the different branches of Niger's security apparatus had a member in the group, including the police, army, air force and presidential guard.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron, Mahamadou Issoufou, Regis, Mohamed Bazoum, Bazoum, Abdourahamane Tiani, Tiani, Keen, Issoufou, Spokespeople, swirled, Salifou Mody, Mody, Hassoumi Massaoudou, Amadou Abdramane, Ahmad Sidien, Moussa Aksar, David Lewis, David Gauthier, Michel Rose, Edward McAllister, Alexandra Zavis, David Clarke Organizations: Niger, REUTERS, Nigerien, Reuters, West African States, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Western, Niger Armed Forces, United Arab Emirates, National Guard, Thomson Locations: Sahel, French, Pau, France, NIAMEY, United States, Niamey, Diffa, Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, Russia, West Africa, Tiani, Nairobi, Villars, Istanbul, Paris, Dakar

☆ 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 coup: Europeans evacuated from West African country as neighboring juntas warn against intervention
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( Joseph Ataman Larry Madowo Caitlin Hu Shirin Faqiri Sana Noor Haq | Joseph Ataman | Larry Madowo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —France was preparing to evacuate French and European citizens from Niger on Tuesday after a presidential coup plunged the West African nation into a political crisis that polarized neighboring countries in the region. A message from the French embassy to French citizens in Niger, seen by CNN, instructed those wishing to be evacuated to bring food and water with them while they wait before boarding. Stringer/ReutersFrance and the European Union also cut off financial aid to Niger following the coup. Niger has “endemic problems, poverty, and terrorism, so there are many factors contributing to instability in the country,” Hudson added. In the wake of the deposition, some Nigeriens expressed their anger against the legacy of French colonialism and its continued influence in the West African country.

Persons: Catherine Colonna, Antonio Tajani, Mohamed Bazoum, Major Amadou Abdramane, Stringer, insurgencies, Bazoum, Cameron Hudson, ” Hudson, Issifou Djibo Organizations: CNN —, French, LCI, Embassy, CNN, Italian Foreign Ministry, West African States, Getty Images Security, Reuters, European Union, Nigerien, Niger, Center, Strategic, International Studies, World Bank, French Armed Forces, National Assembly Locations: CNN — France, Niger, West, France, Niamey, ”, Nigerien, Italy, Burkina Faso, Mali, Sahel, AFP, Reuters France, Guinea, Niger ., Niger’s, Africa’s Sahel, Nigeria, Western, Russia, Elysee, Moscow

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