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Mr. Trump is widely regarded around the world as a transactional leader. Chinese officials do see a potential upside if Mr. Trump pulls the United States back from its role as a global leader. But the Kremlin seems skeptical that Mr. Trump would actually push for such a deal, especially because of his track record: There was jubilation in Moscow when Mr. Trump won in 2016, but over the next four years, U.S. sanctions against Russia only increased, and Mr. Trump sent antitank weapons to Ukraine. On Wednesday, he quickly made clear that he would seek to have Mr. Trump on his side, as one of the first world leaders to congratulate Mr. Trump in a post on X. Mr. Trump has been effective in demanding more military spending from fellow NATO members, said Mr. Heisbourg.

Persons: David Pierson, Trump, Donald Trump’s, India Mujib Mashal, Narendra Modi, Trump’s, Africa Abdi Latif Dahir, —, Gaza Patrick Kingsley, Benjamin Netanyahu, Benjamin Netanyahu’s, Mr, Netanyahu, “, ”, Basem Naim, ” Read, Mexico Natalie Kitroeff, Claudia Sheinbaum, Read, Ukraine Anton Troianovski, J.D, Vance, Volodymyr Zelensky, Donald J, Somini Sengupta, NATO Steven Erlanger, Georgina Wright, Vladimir V, Putin, François Heisbourg, Heisbourg Organizations: The Times, Global, Trump, West Bank, Second Trump, NATO, Mr, Russia, Signals, U.S, Biden, International Studies, Institut Montaigne, Republican Locations: China, Beijing, United States, Taiwan, India, Asia, Africa, U.S, Russia, Niger, Chad, Israel, Gaza, Jerusalem, Iran, Mexico, Mexico City, Stake, Ukraine, Moscow, Kyiv, Paris, Europe, “, French

CNN —Up to 600 people were shot dead in a matter of hours by al Qaeda-linked militants in an August attack on a town in Burkina Faso, according to a French government security assessment that nearly doubles the death toll cited in earlier reports. A series of coups across Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger led to the departure of French and American forces. The Russian mercenaries summoned by the juntas to bolster their grip have instead left a vacuum in which jihadists have thrived, says the assessment, given to CNN by a French security official. A view of the town of Barsalogho, Burkina Faso, where up to 600 people were killed by al Qaeda-linked militants in an August attack, according to a French government security assessment. CNN has reviewed videos of the alleged cannibalism that seem to show Burkina Faso soldiers dismembering and holding up body parts of apparent dead jihadists.

Persons: al, Nusrat al, JNIM, ”, jihadists, “, I’m, Fear, Ibrahim Traore, Zero ”, Burkina Faso’s, Traore, –, Wagner, group’s, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Donat Sorokin, ‘ Organizations: CNN, Getty, United Nations, Reuters, “, Burkina Faso’s, Civil Service, Labs Inc, Rapid Locations: al Qaeda, Burkina Faso, Barsalogho, Africa, Islam, Mali, Sahel, West Africa, United States, jihadists, Niger, Tawori, Bamako, Burkina, France, Moscow, Ukraine, Ouagadougou, Russian, Russia, Saint Petersburg, BIR, Togo, Kompienga, Togolese, Qaeda

☆ 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

☆ The Sahara Desert is greening as unusual storms hit parts of Africa
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-13 | by ( Mary Gilbert | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Satellites recently captured plant life blooming in parts of the typically arid southern Sahara after storms moved there when they shouldn’t. NASARainfall north of the equator in Africa typically increases from July through September as the West African Monsoon kicks into gear. “The Intertropical Convergence Zone, which is the reason for (Africa’s) greening, moves farther north the warmer the world gets,” Haustein explained. NOAA's Climate Prediction CenterTake the northern portion of Chad, which is part of the Sahara Desert. Only up to an inch of rain typically falls here from about mid-July to early September.

Persons: Karsten Haustein, Niño, Haustein, El Niño, ” Haustein, “, g9HrAAzrxC — Evan Fisher, Audu Marte, Haustien, ” Organizations: CNN, NASA NASA, Central African, NASA, West, Satellite, Leipzig University, United, Getty Locations: Africa, Niger, Chad, Central African Republic, Sudan, Libya, Germany, West, Central Africa, Parts, Nigeria, Cameroon, Egypt, United Nations, Maiduguri, AFP, Messawi, Meroe, Sudan's Northern State

☆ Floods gush through Nigerian zoo, sweeping snakes and crocodiles into neighborhoods
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-11 | by ( Nimi Princewill | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Abuja, Nigeria CNN —Floodwaters that gushed from an overflowing dam in northern Nigeria engulfed a zoo and swept animals including crocodiles and snakes into communities, as the region battles some of the worst flooding in years. A video of an ostrich wading through a flooded road in the capital, Maiduguri, has been widely shared on social media. The flooded yard of Sanda Kyarimi Park Zoo is pictured in Maiduguri on September 10, 2024. Ahmed Kingimi/ReutersA spokesperson for NEMA, Nigeria’s disaster management agency, Manzo Ezekiel, told CNN Wednesday that efforts were being made to recapture the animals. Nigeria’s meteorological agency, NIMET, however, had warned of the risk of flash floods across the country following torrential rains.

Persons: “, Ahmed Kingimi, Manzo Ezekiel, ”, NEMA, Ezekiel Organizations: Nigeria CNN, Reuters, CNN, United Nations Refugee Agency, UNHCR, Authorities, UN, Northern, Services Agency Locations: Abuja, Nigeria, Borno State, Maiduguri, Sanda Kyarimi, NEMA, Northern Nigeria, Borno, ”, Niger, Africa

☆ Insurers deemed mold too risky decades ago. That coverage gap still surprises homeowners
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-11 | by ( Genna Contino | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +11 min

Schmitt's example may be extreme, but mold damage is not unusual. In 2022, water damage, including mold, represented 27.6% of homeowners insurance losses, according to data from Insurance Services Office, an industry group. Despite the award for the owner of the mold-damaged home later being reduced to $4 million, companies still pulled back on mold coverage. "Mold claims won't be covered if it's a result of neglect, such as pipe leaking for months resulting in water damage and mold." "You should always read your insurance policy and understand what you have, but no one's going to do that," Kochenburger said.

Persons: Brandi Schmitt, Schmitt, Brandi Schmitt's, adjuster, USAA, Read, Kamala Harris, Harris, Joseph, Ms, Ballard, Amy Bach, United, Bach, Scott Shapiro, Will Melofchik, haven't, Melofchik, Scott Holeman, Holeman, Peter Kochenburger, Kochenburger, it's, Mold, Shapiro, Mark Friedlander Organizations: Maryland, CNBC, Finance, Here’s, Democratic, Insurance Services Office, . Farmers Insurance Group, KPMG, National Council of Insurance, Insurance Information Institute, Southern University Law Center, University of Connecticut's Insurance Law Center, Insurance, South Carolina Independent Agents, Nationwide, Allstate, Federal Trade Commission, Act, State Farm Locations: Lothian , Maryland, U.S, Maryland, Texas, San Francisco, South Carolina, Lindsey , Ohio

☆ Pentagon Hands Over Last Base in Niger as Extremism Spreads in the Sahel
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-05 | by ( Eric Schmitt | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The U.S. military turned over control of its last base in Niger to local forces on Monday, ending a yearslong counterterrorism mission in the West African country even as violent extremism remains on the rise in the region. A group of U.S. troops boarded an Air Force cargo plane and flew out of a $110 million air base in central Niger that was built with Pentagon money, among the last of 1,000 personnel that Washington had agreed to pull out by Sept. 15. A small number of troops will remain at the United States Embassy for a short time to wrap up administrative details, officials said. “The withdrawal of U.S. forces and assets from Air Base 201 in Agadez is complete,” the Pentagon’s Africa Command said in a statement, referring to the installation in central Niger. “The effective cooperation and communication between the U.S. and Nigerien armed forces ensured that this turnover was finished ahead of schedule and without complications.”

Persons: “ Organizations: U.S, Air Force, Pentagon, Washington, United States Embassy, Air Base, Pentagon’s Africa Command, Nigerien Locations: Niger, West, U.S, Agadez

☆ Violence erupts as Nigerians protest hunger across the nation
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-01 | by ( Nimi Princewill | Stephanie Busari | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

The state’s police spokesman Wasiu Abiodun told CNN in a statement that operatives arrested 11 armed “hoodlums” who set fire to a government building after looting it. Activist and lawyer Deji Adeyanju told CNN Thursday that there were counter-demonstrations by pro-government protesters who arrived in buses accompanied by a security vehicle. “In the northern part of Nigeria, the largest part of our country … the primary cause of hunger is insecurity. He added that Nigerians were also pained watching their leaders live in luxury while they struggled to make ends meet. Analysts told CNN at the time it was “hypocrisy” for the government to spend on luxuries while impoverished citizens suffer hardship.

Persons: Bosun Tijani, Wasiu Abiodun, hoodlums ”, Abiodun, Benson Ibeabuchi, Deji Adeyanju, Josephine Adeh, ”, …, We’ll, ” Dele, “ unifies, Bola Tinubu, Tinubu, Mohammed Idris, “, ” Farotimi, Sulaimon Organizations: CNN, Innovation, Communications, Bloomberg, Getty, Kaduna Police Command, Nigeria ’, Channels Television, ”, “, Nigeria’s Locations: Nigeria, Africa, Kenya, Uganda, Ghana, Kano, Abuja, Niger, Ikeja, Lagos, Kaduna, AFP

A Tuareg militant group spokesman said some Malian troops and Russian fighters had also been captured during the battle. According to some unofficial Russian Telegram channels, as many as 80 Russians were killed. The commander – call-sign Rusich – said on Telegram he was trying to convey a message to the Russian Defense Ministry. And in Syria five years ago, a disastrous attack by Russian mercenaries on an oil refinery led to dozens of casualties. One of them was an IED attack on a Russian vehicle in the same region of Mali as the latest devastating assault.

Persons: Nusrat al, JNIM, ”, Andriy Yusov, Yusov, Wagner, Wagner “, –, Sergei Shevchenko, Nikita Fedyanin, “, Korotkov, Africa Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Yunus, Bek, Yevkurov, al Organizations: CNN, Russian, Russian Telegram, Kremlin, Kyiv, Ukraine’s Security, Russian Defense Ministry, Corps, Grey, Russian Ministry of Defense, Russian Federation, Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Central African, Wagner PMC, Deputy, SITE Intelligence Group Locations: Mali, Algerian, Islam, Africa, Malian, Russian, London, Syria, Central African Republic, Mozambique, Bakhmut, Ukraine, Niger, Burkina Faso, Moscow, Togo

☆ Niger: Inmates escape prison holding militants
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-12 | by ( Story Reuters | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

Reuters —Niger’s interior ministry said it had ordered search units to be on alert after inmates escaped on Thursday from the high-security Koutoukale prison whose inmates include Islamist militants. The ministry statement did not say how many prisoners had escaped Koutoukale, which lies 50 km (30 miles) northwest of the capital Niamey, or how they had done so. The prison’s inmates include detainees from the West African country’s conflict with armed groups linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State and suspected Boko Haram insurgents. Local authorities imposed an overnight curfew in the urban commune of Tillaberi, which is in the same region as the prison, but did not give further details. Thousands have been killed in the insurgencies and more than three million displaced, fueling a deep humanitarian crisis in some of the world’s poorest countries.

Persons: Boko, al Organizations: Reuters, West, Islamic Locations: Niamey, al Qaeda, Islamic State, Tillaberi, Niger, Mali

☆ Global population to peak within this century as birth rates fall, United Nations report says
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-12 | by ( Lee Ying Shan | In Ying-Shan-Lee | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The world population is on course to peak earlier than expected this century as some of the world's largest countries face declining birth rates, according to the United Nations. According to the organization's biennial World Population Prospects report, global population is projected to peak at around 10.3 billion in the mid-2080s from the current 8.2 billion. The UN in 2022 had estimated the world population would peak at 10.4 billion by the 2080s. The total population of these countries is stipulated to fall by 14% over the next 30 years. For 126 countries including the United States, India, Indonesia, and Pakistan, population is expected to peak in the second half of the century or later.

Persons: Li Junhua, Li Organizations: United Nations, UN, Economic, Social Affairs, Central African, Democratic Locations: China, South Korea, Spain, Italy, Germany, Japan, Russia, Niger, Somalia, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, United States, India, Indonesia, Pakistan

☆ Mali junta lifts suspension on political party activities
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-11 | by ( Story Reuters | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

Reuters —Mali’s military junta has lifted a suspension on political party activities meant to safeguard public order, the council of ministers said late on Wednesday. “By taking this deterrent measure, the government was able to contain all the threats of public disorder that hung over this major event,” the council said in a statement. Given the focus was now on implementing the recommendations of the April 13-May 10 peace dialogue, the government will allow political parties to resume their activities, it said. Mali’s junta, which seized power in a second coup in 2021, reneged on a promise to hold elections in February, postponing the vote indefinitely for technical reasons. Political parties and civil society groups at the time reacted with anger to the junta’s decision not to hold the vote and called for a return to constitutional order.

Persons: Reuters — Organizations: Reuters, “, Islamic Locations: West, Central Africa, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, al Qaeda, Islamic State

☆ Three Countries Exit West African Bloc, Shaking a Fragile Region
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-10 | by ( Elian Peltier | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Three West African countries have broken away from a 15-member regional bloc that has long ensured free movement of people and goods among its tightly knit economies, further destabilizing an area that is home to nearly 400 million people and threatened by violent insurgents. The leaders of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger last weekend announced their “irrevocable and immediate” withdrawal from the bloc, the Economic Community of West African States, known as ECOWAS. The three countries, all ruled by military leaders friendly to Russia, span more than half of the bloc’s geographic area and are among its most populous. However, they are not the region’s largest economies, and as landlocked nations, all three depend on access to ports in coastal countries for overseas trade. “Our region is facing the risk of disintegration,” Omar Alieu Touray, the president of ECOWAS’s executive arm, said on Sunday.

Persons: ” Omar Alieu Touray Organizations: Economic, West Locations: Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, West African States, Russia

☆ The expeditions documenting the Congo Basin
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-05 | by ( Leah Collins | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —The Congo Basin in central Africa is one of the largest wilderness areas left on Earth, spanning 3.4 million square kilometers (1.3 million square miles). Steve Boyes, founder and project leader of The Wilderness Project, is gathering scientific information across the length of the Congo River. And that’s every single corner, typically, of these rivers.”Steve Boyes on a Great Spine of Africa expedition. This expedition is not Boyes’ first time exploring the Congo Basin. The expedition team camping at a fishing village.

Persons: Steve Boyes, ” Boyes, “, James Kydd Boyes, Boyes ’, Johann Vorster, eDNA, ”, Matt Dooley, there’s, Boyes Organizations: CNN, Initiative, Rolex, UNESCO, Geographic Locations: Congo, Africa, Nile, Chad, Niger, Angolan, Angola, Zambia

☆ Mali: Around 40 killed in attack on village in central region
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-03 | by ( Story Reuters | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

Reuters —Unidentified armed men have killed around 40 people in an attack on a village in insurgent-plagued central Mali, local officials said on Tuesday. “It was a very serious attack, armed men surrounded the village and shot at people,” said Bankass Mayor Moulaye Guindo by phone. He was not able to share a death toll, but two local officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said around 40 people were killed. Violence has spiraled in West Africa’s central Sahel region since the insurgencies took root in Mali and spread into neighboring Burkina Faso and Niger, killing thousands of people and displacing millions more. The insecurity has helped spur two coups in Mali, one in Burkina Faso, and one in Niger since 2020.

Persons: ”, Moulaye Guindo Organizations: Reuters, Islamic Locations: Mali, Djiguibombo, Mopti, Mali’s, al Qaeda, Islamic State, West Africa’s, Sahel, Burkina Faso, Niger

☆ The fertility crisis is here and it will permanently alter the economy
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-25 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

In the 1960s, there were six people of working age for every retired person, according to the World Economic Forum. “What you’re seeing is increased spending on programs like Medicare and Social Security as the baby boomers are aging into those programs. And then of course, fewer workers relative to the number of people who are receiving Social Security and Medicare benefits,” said Dahl. Social Security payments still provide about 90% of income for more than a quarter of older adults in the United States, according to Social Security Agency surveys. But without intervention, the Social Security trust fund will be depleted by the mid-2030s, meaning that only a portion of retirees’ expected benefits will be paid out.

Persons: it’s, Louis, Simona Paravani, ”, Elon Musk, Kimberly, Clark, Mark Schneider, he’s, Emmanuel Macron, Donald Trump, Molly Dahl, Dahl, Eric Schmidt, ” Schmidt, Goldman Sachs, Stefano Scarpetta, Li Qiang, Juliana Liu, Joyce Jiang, Li, China’s, Xi Jinping, Biden, Max Prosecutors, haven’t, Max, Read Organizations: London CNN, Organisation for Economic Co, Development, Economic, Federal Reserve Bank of St, BlackRock, Disease Control, Congressional Budget Office, CBO, Social Security, Social, Social Security Agency, Google, Summit, Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, OECD, ” Companies, West Chinese, CNN, EV, Prosecutors, Boeing, Max, US Justice Department, Alaska Air, Justice Department, Federal Aviation Administration Locations: Chad, Niger, Somalia, Samoa, Tonga, Tajikistan, United States, London, China, Beijing, Dalian, Canada, Beijing’s “

☆ US begins pulling military equipment from Niger ahead of withdrawal deadline
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-08 | by ( Anneclaire Stapleton | Oren Liebermann | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

The US priority was first to remove sensitive equipment from Niger, a source familiar with the matter said. Much of the US military and equipment has been in Niamey at what’s known as Base 101. A source confirmed this flight was to withdraw military equipment and some personnel. The relationship between the US and the military junta grew increasingly strained as Biden administration officials called for a clear path to free and fair elections. The US was also forced to wait for the Nigerien military junta to approve flight clearances to withdraw personnel and equipment, an agreement which was only reached last month.

Persons: Sergey Lavrov, Michael Langley Organizations: CNN, US Department of Defense, Department of National Defense of, Nigerien, US, Biden, Russia’s Defense, Russian, US Africa Command Locations: Niger, Republic of Niger, Niamey, what’s, US, West African, Kremlin, Russia, Burkina Faso, Mali

☆ Dakhla Atlantic Port: How a small, windy city could become a gateway for trade
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-28 | by ( Nell Lewis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Spanning 1,650 hectares, the complex will include a trade port with an oil terminal, a fishing port and a shipyard. “We’re constructing an ecosystem,” Nisrine Iouzzi, the director of construction for the Dakhla Atlantic Port, tells CNN. Gateway to AfricaThe project is part of Morocco’s national port strategy, which aims to modernize and strengthen port infrastructure by 2030, in order to enhance its role in global supply chains. Video Ad Feedback Dakhla Atlantic Port aims to boost trade across West Africa 02:26 - Source: CNNWith the implementation of Africa’s continental free trade agreement, which aims to create a single market for goods and services, the port could encourage the processing of raw materials within the continent. “Local disputes can make developing port infrastructure and reliable logistics much more challenging,” says Mooney.

Persons: CNN —, Nisrine Iouzzi, “, ”, Mounir Houari, Houari, ” Turloch Mooney, Mooney Organizations: CNN, United, United Arab Emirates, Dakhla’s Regional Investment Center, Port, P Global Market Intelligence Locations: Western Sahara, Morocco, Tangier, Mauritania, West Africa, East, Europe, North America, South America, United Arab, Gateway, Africa, Casablanca, Tanger, Med, Agadir, West, Mali, Chad, Niger, Burkina Faso, Sahara, ”, “

☆ Nigerian official says gunmen ‘made tea’ as they kidnapped at least 160 in hours-long deadly raid
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-27 | by ( Nimi Princewill | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

The attack occurred in Kuchi village, Munya district, in Niger state, beginning at about 5:30 p.m. on Friday and lasting until 4:00 a.m. Saturday, according to district official Aminu Abdulhamid Najume. Najume reported that about 300 gunmen arrived on motorbikes and stayed for several hours, making themselves at home before leaving with the abductees. “This is not the first or second time Kuchi village has been attacked. “The invasion of the village by the gunmen is yet another indication of the Nigerian authorities’ utter failure to protect lives,” Amnesty added. The Kuchi abduction comes two months after 21 people, including a newlywed, were killed when gunmen described locally as ‘bandits’ stormed a market in Rafi, another affected district in Niger.

Persons: Boko, Najume, “, ” Najume, ”, ’, Rafi Organizations: CNN, Niger State Police Command, Amnesty Locations: Nigeria, Kuchi, Munya, Niger, Najume, Nigeria’s, Abuja, Niger’s, Kaduna

☆ Russia's pulling combat forces from another continent to fuel its latest offensive push in Ukraine, Western intel says
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-24 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Read previewRussia has moved some combat forces from Africa to help support its latest offensive efforts in northeastern Ukraine, according to a new Western intelligence assessment. The Russian defense ministry created the Africa Corps last year as a way to expand its footprint on the continent and also in the Middle East. Photo by Kostiantyn Liberov/Libkos/Getty ImagesRussia's defense ministry "almost certainly redeployed detachments from the Africa Corps to the Ukrainian border during April 2024 in preparation for this offensive," the defense ministry said. Other Africa Corps detachments are believed to have deployed to Syria, Libya, Burkina Faso, and Niger, the UK said. French Army via APThe recent deployment of certain Africa Corps units to the Kharkiv region appears to underscore Russia's commitment to its new offensive.

Persons: —, Wagner, Kostiantyn Liberov, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Volodymyr Zelenskyy Organizations: Service, Africa Corps, Business, Nazi, French Army, AP, Libkos, Staff of, Armed Forces, Facebook Locations: Russia, Africa, Ukraine, Moscow, Vovchansk, Ukraine's Kharkiv, Kharkiv, Ukrainian, Syria, Libya, Burkina Faso, Niger, Mali

☆ Kenyan President’s State Visit: An Antidote to U.S. Troubles in Africa?
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-22 | by ( Declan Walsh | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

As other African nations move away from the United States, disillusioned with democracy or lured by rival powers, President William Ruto of Kenya arrives in Washington on Wednesday for a three-day state visit intended to showcase a stalwart American ally on the continent. Relations with once-firm American allies like South Africa and Ethiopia are decidedly cool. Mr. Ruto, the Biden administration hopes, is the antidote to those troubles. Since he came to power two years ago, Mr. Ruto, 57, has pulled Kenya, the economic powerhouse of East Africa, ever closer to the United States. His visit is just the sixth state visit hosted by the Biden administration, and the first for an African president since 2008.

Persons: William Ruto, Ruto, Biden Locations: United States, Kenya, Washington, American, Russia, China, Niger, South Africa, Ethiopia, Senegal, East Africa

☆ U.S. and Niger Announce Withdrawal of American Personnel by September
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-19 | by ( Eric Schmitt | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The withdrawal of 1,000 U.S. military personnel in Niger is underway, and all American troops will leave the West African country by Sept. 15, the U.S. and Nigerien governments said on Sunday. Anderson, met in Niamey, Niger’s capital, this past week with representatives of Niger’s military, led by the army chief of staff, Col. Maj. Mamane Sani Kiaou, the statement said. The meeting was meant “to coordinate the orderly and safe withdrawal of U.S. forces from Niger,” it added. The statement, released by the Pentagon, also said the two militaries had established procedures to ease the entry and the exit of U.S. personnel, including flight and landing clearances for military planes. Niger has balked at approving some of those clearances in recent months, American officials said.

Persons: Biden, Christopher P, Maier, Dagvin R.M, Anderson, Mamane Sani Kiaou Organizations: Pentagon Locations: Niger, West, U.S, Africa, Niamey, Niger’s, Maj

☆ US reaches agreement with Niger to withdraw military forces by September 15
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-19 | by ( Oren Liebermann | Anneclaire Stapleton | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —The US has reached an agreement with Niger to withdraw its military forces from the African nation by September 15, according to the US Defense Department and the Nigerien Ministry of National Defense. Niger’s military government announced in March that it had ended an accord with the US that allowed military personnel and civilian staff from the Department of Defense to operate in the country. The US delegation met with Niger’s ruling military junta last week to try to reach an agreement that would allow for the secure withdrawal of US forces and for clearances for military flights. The delegations also established procedures to facilitate the entry and exit of U.S. personnel, including overflight and landing clearances for military flights,” the joint statement said. Rebuffing the calls, the military junta instead began partnering more with Russia, whose forces are now operating at the same base from which US forces are withdrawing.

Persons: Balima, Chris Meier, Mamane Sani Kiaou, Biden, ” Organizations: CNN, US Defense Department, Nigerien Ministry of National Defense, Department of Defense, Getty, Nigerien Locations: Niger, Niamey, Anadolu, Russia, US, United States

☆ US hopes to maintain some forces in Niger as talks on withdrawal continue, officials say
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-10 | by ( Haley Britzky | Katie Bo Lillis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Officials said a US delegation will travel to Niger over the weekend to discuss how it will be carried out. “Niger is pretty profound in the decision of the government there … to have us depart or at least go to very low numbers,” Maier said. Since the coup in July, airspace has been closed over Niger to foreign militaries who have all had to submit individual requests for airspace to conduct military flights, one US official told CNN. A US military official explained that the withdrawal will come in phases over a period of months. The footprint will continue to shrink in phases as equipment and personnel not deemed necessary are moved out of country.

Persons: “ We’ll, ” Chris Maier, ” Maier, Michael Langley, ”, — Organizations: CNN, Pentagon, US Africa Command, Russian Federation Locations: Niger, West African, “ Niger, Africa, Russia, United States, Chad, Russian, China, Israel

☆ The Bleak Life of a Deposed President and His Wife, Held Captive
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-04 | by ( Elian Peltier | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Held captive by his former security guards in an isolated wing of his house, the deposed president of Niger paces a bedroom with no direct daylight, cut off from the world and unable to talk to his lawyers, according to people with direct knowledge of the conditions of his detention. Nine months since he was toppled in one of the coups that have recently wracked West Africa, Mohamed Bazoum is lingering in detention with no end in sight. The military junta that deposed him is seeking to strip him of presidential immunity, paving the way for him to be prosecuted on charges such as treason, for which the penalty could be life imprisonment, his lawyers said. His only visitor is a doctor, who brings him food once a week. Many of Mr. Bazoum’s closest allies — his cabinet members and advisers — have been thrown into jail or forced to flee Niger.

Persons: Mohamed Bazoum, Hadiza, Bazoum’s, — Locations: Niger, West Africa

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