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GOMA, Congo (AP) — The United Nations has suspended and detained eight peacekeepers in eastern Congo over allegations of sexual exploitation, a U.N. official said. Their mission is to protect civilians, deter armed groups, and build the capacity of state institutions and services. Political Cartoons View All 1207 ImagesDespite the presence of the peacekeepers in Congo for decades, the conflict has continued and is increasing. Accusations of sexual abuse by peacekeepers in Congo are not new and in the past have been considered the epicenter of the U.N.'s sexual abuse crisis. In 2017, of the 2,000 sexual abuse and exploitation complaints made against the U.N. worldwide over the past 12 years, more than 700 occurred in Congo.

Persons: ___ Kamale, Sam Mednick Organizations: United Nations, Associated Press Locations: GOMA, Congo, South Africa, Beni, North Kivu, Fizi, South Kivu, Kinshasa, Cotonou, Benin

WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States on Tuesday formally declared the ousting of Niger's democratically-elected president a coup d'etat, more than two months after mutinous soldiers seized power. The coup designation comes with the suspension of counterterrorism assistance and military training as well as the pausing of certain foreign assistance programs worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Under U.S. law, a formal determination of a coup — the unconstitutional overthrow of a democratically elected government — typically results in a suspension of all non-humanitarian assistance, particularly military aid and cooperation, to the country concerned. The bases are a critical part of America’s overall efforts in West Africa and Niger, hosting more than 1,000 troops in the country. While a sizeable footprint remains in the country, those troops are not conducting either partnered training or counterterrorism missions, administration officials said, raising questions as to why they were staying.

Persons: Niger's, it’s, we’ve, they've, ”, Niger Kathleen FitzGibbon, Mohamed Bazoum who’s, Bazoum, —, Biden, Peter Pham, ___ Mednick Organizations: WASHINGTON, National Council for, U.S, Islamic, Atlantic Council Locations: United States, U.S, West African, Ambassador, Niger, Sahel, Burkina Faso, Mali, West Africa, Niamey, Agadez, West Africa’s, Cotonou, Benin

☆ Fire in shop kills 35 people in southeastern Benin
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

COTONOU, Sept 23 (Reuters) - At least 35 people were killed in southeastern Benin on Saturday after a fire broke out at a shop where witnesses said gasoline was being unloaded, a justice ministry representative said. The fire broke out at 0930 local time in Seme-Podji municipality, near the border with Nigeria. "According to the witnesses interviewed, the fire was probably started during the unloading of bags of gasoline." Reuters was not immediately able to verify the video. Reporting by Pulcherie Adjoha Writing by Alessandra Prentice; Editing by David GregorioOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Abdoubaki Adam, Bongle, Pulcherie, Alessandra Prentice, David Gregorio Our Organizations: Reuters, Thomson Locations: COTONOU, Benin, Seme, Podji, Nigeria

☆ Benin showcases petanque passion as world championship host
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( Seraphin Zounyekpe | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

COTONOU, Benin, Sept 18 - Terrazini Marcel Bio stood inside Benin's new petanque arena, eyes fixed on a small wooden ball and his mind on revenge. Bio narrowly missed gold in the 2016 World Petanque Championships in Madagascar, and was desperate to bring the trophy home to his country in last week's tournament. "At first, people didn't believe that Benin could organise this world championship. From leisurely street games to fierce club tournaments, Benin is carving out its place in the sport. "I think petanque is the only sport that can favour all social strata and put everyone at ease, that there are no social barriers," said Guy Trounnou, technical director for Benin's petanque federation.

Persons: Terrazini Marcel Bio, Guy Trounnou, Benin's, pétanque, Seraphin Zounyekpe, Cooper Inveen, Alex Richardson Organizations: Thomson Locations: COTONOU, Benin, Madagascar, France

☆ China's oil and uranium business in Niger
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-31 | by ( Andrew Hayley | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

China's total foreign direct investment (FDI) into Niger stood at $2.68 billion as at the end of 2020, according to the U.S. Embassy in Niger. The pipeline investment is twinned with a second phase of development of the Agadem field. Taken together, total investment into the pipeline and second phase development is expected to reach $4 billion, according to China's Ministry of Commerce. URANIUM MINEIn 2007, state-owned China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) (601985.SS) entered a joint venture with the Nigerien government to develop the Azelik uranium mine in the centre of the country. Niger, which has Africa's highest-grade uranium ores, produced 2,020 metric tons of uranium in 2022, about 5% of world mining output, according to the World Nuclear Association.

Persons: Niger's, Mohamed Bazoum, PetroChina, CNNC, Andrew Hayley, Aizhu Chen Organizations: U.S, Embassy, Nigerien, China's Ministry of Commerce, Reuters, China National Nuclear Corporation, Hong Kong Stock Exchange, World Nuclear Association, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, China, France, West, Niger, PetroChina, Niamey, Zinder, Nigeria, Nigerien, Cotonou, Africa, Beijing, Singapore

☆ As Nigeria scraps fuel subsidy, a vibrant black market collapses
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( Desire Danga Essigue | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Since Nigeria scrapped a state fuel subsidy on May 31, black market fuel vendors and commercial drivers in Cameroon, Benin and Togo who were heavily reliant on petrol smuggled from Nigeria have seen their businesses collapse. With supplies dwindling, queues have been forming at official petrol stations, where fuel is now competitively priced. "Supply has become scarce and customers think we're ripping them off with this high price, yet it's from Nigeria that prices have soared," said Perevet Dieudonne, a black market seller. The trade in black market fuel is so central to the local economy that authorities either turn a blind eye or are complicit. At Hilacondji, a border crossing between Togo and Benin, some black market fuel stalls were shut, while at others vendors waited among rows of empty plastic jerricans for potential deliveries.

Persons: Danga, turvy, Perevet Dieudonne, Ousmanou Mal Djoulde, Ayi Hilla, Alice Lawson, Pulcherie, Amindeh Blaise Atabong, Elisha Bala, MacDonald Dzirutwe, Estelle Shirbon, Bate Felix, Elaine Hardcastle Organizations: REUTERS, CFA, Reuters, Dangote Petroleum, United Nations, Thomson Locations: Garoua, Cameroon, GAROUA, West, Nigeria, Benin, Togo, Nigerian, West Africa, Dangote, Hilacondji, Africa, Cotonou, Pulcherie Adjoha

Ships in the Autonomous Port of Cotonou in Benin, West Africa. Prosper Dagnitche/AFP/Getty ImagesThe stream of used cars heading to West African ports is only expected to increase with the West’s shift to electric vehicles. “It’s not like people want to drive used cars; it’s an affordability issue.”Experts say demand for used cars could explode further as the take up of electric cars in the West increases the supply of used cars to African countries. Those states also have robust port operations, making them an ideal place to ship used cars to Africa. “In terms of where Africa goes, the transition shouldn’t necessarily be from used cars to brand new combustion engines, it should be from used cars to EVs,” Ipke said.

OUIDAH, Benin, Jan 11 (Reuters) - On Benin's national voodoo holiday, performers dressed as guardians of the night swirled in costumes resembling technicolour haystacks, delighting worshippers and tourists alike. [1/7] Devotees perform as they take part in the annual celebration of Voodoo festival in Cotonou, Benin January 10, 2023. REUTERS/ Charles Placide Tossou 1 2 3 4 5"For them, there is a lot of interest in discovering the roots of our ancestors, the African roots," she said. Only around 350,000 tourists visited Benin in 2020, although numbers have been rising steadily since 292,000 visited in 2016, according to the most recent annual data from the World Tourism Organization. French tourist Elodie Wine, 23, said seeing the group dances and fantastical costumes of the Ouidah festival was likely to be the highlight of her trip to Benin.

☆ Cotton exporter Benin developing home-grown textile industry
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-24 | by ( Pulcherie Adjoha | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Benin has in the last few years become Africa's leading cotton producer, with annual production of 728,000 tonnes in 2020/21, according to government figures. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register"We have decided that in this country, we are no longer going to sell this cotton raw. We are going to transform this cotton, in particular by installing integrated textile factories," said Letondji Beheton, managing director of the Glo-Djigbe Industrial Zone (GDIZ), about 45 km from Cotonou. 1/6 People work at a shirt-making factory in the Glo-Djigbe Industrial Zone (GDIZ) in Abomey-Calavi, Benin October 13, 2022. Although the systems are not yet in place to get cotton from field to factory, GDIZ has started training about 1,000 garment workers using imported materials for now.

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