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☆ US Urges Timely Election in Senegal, Welcomes Court Ruling Against Delay
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-16 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Kanishka SinghWASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States on Friday welcomed a court decision that overturned the postponement of Senegal's presidential election to December, and called for a new "free and fair election" to be held as soon as possible. A bill that pushed back the Feb. 25 poll and plunged the country into electoral uncertainty was overturned on Thursday by Senegal's Constitutional Council. In his Friday statement accepting the council's ruling, Sall said he would initiate the consultations needed to organise the election as soon as possible. CONTEXTThe opposition and foreign powers had urged the authorities to comply with the constitutional council's ruling. Senegal had never previously delayed a presidential vote.

Persons: Kanishka Singh WASHINGTON, Macky Sall, Sall's, Sall, Kanishka Singh, Stephen Coates Organizations: Senegal's Constitutional Council, State Department Locations: United States, Senegal, Washington

☆ Analysis-West Africa's 'Brexit' Moment Spells Trouble for the Region
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-30 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +6 min

Ivory Coast alone is home to more than 5 million people from Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger. Earlier this month, Russia and Niger, ruled by a junta since a coup last year, agreed to develop military ties. Russian military personnel flew into Burkina Faso's capital Ouagadougou last week to ensure the safety of the country's military leader. EMPTY THREATECOWAS has responded to a wave of coups in the region since 2020 with sanctions that the juntas have called "illegal and inhumane." "The departure from ECOWAS will have catastrophic consequences for the ability to respond to the many security challenges facing this region," said Abba.

Persons: Bate Felix, David Lewis, Giulia Paravicini, Seidik Abba, Russia's Wagner, Mucahid Durmaz, Verisk Maplecroft, Charlie Robertson, Kwesi Aning, Gilles Yabi, Adama Coulibaly, Nagnouma Keita, Abba, Tiemoko Diallo, Boureima, Silvia Aloisi, Andrew Cawthorne Organizations: Giulia Paravicini DAKAR, West, West African States, Reuters, Islamic, FIM Partners, European Union, ECOWAS, CFA Locations: Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Russia, Ivory Coast, Niger . Niger, Nigeria, Paris, Ghana, Togo, Benin, France, United States, Burkina Faso's, Ouagadougou, West Africa, United, London, Bamako, Guinea, China

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

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

☆ Africa's richest person just opened a $19 billion oil refinery to help Nigeria reduce fuel imports
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-21 | by ( Nathan Rennolds | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Read previewAfrica's richest person has opened one of the world's largest oil refineries in Nigeria. Aliko Dangote, the billionaire founder and chairman of the multinational conglomerate the Dangote Group, opened the Dangote Petroleum Refinery in a bid to help make Nigeria self-sufficient in fuel. This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. The $19 billion refinery, in the coastal city of Lekki, near Lagos, has suffered years of delays and setbacks, but it finally began production last week. This is something that the new Dangote refinery aims to change by eventually producing up to 650,000 barrels a day.

Persons: —, Aliko Dangote, Pius Utomi Ekpei, David Rubenstein, Dangote, Rafiq Raji, Raji, John Moore, Alhassan, Forbes, Rubenstein, Bill Gates, Gates, Aliko, Melinda Gates Organizations: Service, Dangote, Petroleum Refinery, Business, Dangote Petroleum, Center for Strategic, Studies, Africa, Bloomberg Global Business, West Africa's, Al, Azhar University, Dangote Cement, Bloomberg, Melinda Gates Foundation, English Premier League soccer, Arsenal Locations: Nigeria, Lekki, Lagos, AFP, New York, Nigerian, West, Egypt, Africa

☆ Scientists Observe Chimpanzees Using Human-Like Warfare Tactic
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( Nov. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +4 min

It is a scenario that has unfolded innumerable times in the history of human warfare. Inter-group violence is ubiquitous in chimpanzees, Lemoine said. While atop border hills, the chimpanzees typically refrained from noisily eating or foraging, instead resting and listening. They were more likely to advance into dangerous territory after descending a hill if the rival chimpanzees were further away. Chimpanzees and the closely related bonobos are the species nearest genetically to humans, sharing about 98.8% of our DNA.

Persons: Will Dunham, Sylvain Lemoine, Lemoine, " Lemoine, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: University of Cambridge, Biology, Inter Locations: Tai, Ivory Coast, West, Washington

☆ Scientists observe chimpanzees using human-like warfare tactic
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( Will Dunham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/3] A group of chimpanzees listen to other chimpanzees heard at a distance in the West African forests of Cote d'Ivoire, studied as part of research by the Tai Chimpanzee Project, in this undated handout photograph. But in this case, it involved not people but chimpanzees in Tai National Park in southwestern Ivory Coast, West Africa's largest protected area of rainforest. Inter-group violence is ubiquitous in chimpanzees, Lemoine said. They were more likely to advance into dangerous territory after descending a hill if the rival chimpanzees were further away. Chimpanzees and the closely related bonobos are the species nearest genetically to humans, sharing about 98.8% of our DNA.

Persons: Wittig, Sylvain Lemoine, Lemoine, " Lemoine, Will Dunham, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: REUTERS Acquire, University of Cambridge, Biology, Inter, Thomson Locations: West, Cote d'Ivoire, Tai, Ivory Coast, Washington

☆ Niger's Ousted President Bazoum Attempts Escape, Junta Captors Claim
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( Oct. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

NIAMEY (Reuters) - Niger's junta said on Thursday that it had thwarted an escape attempt by ousted President Mohamed Bazoum who has been imprisoned by the military since a July 26 coup despite international calls for his release. The interim authorities said that Bazoum and his family, with the help of accomplices in the security forces, planned to drive a vehicle to the ouskirts of the capital Niamey and catch a helicopter to neighbouring Nigeria. "The strong reaction of the defense and security forces made it possible to foil this plan to destabilize our country," a military spokesman said on national television. Reuters was not able to confirm the account or reach Bazoum, whose whereabouts are unknown. Bazoum's party and family members say he has had no access to running water, electricity or fresh goods, prompting condemnation from former western allies.

Persons: Mohamed Bazoum, Bazoum, Boureima Balima, Edward McAllister, Diane Craft Organizations: Reuters Locations: NIAMEY, Niamey, Nigeria, West Africa's, Sahel, Mali, Burkina Faso

☆ French Troops Begin Withdrawal From Niger
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-10 | by ( Oct. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

NIAMEY (Reuters) - French military convoys have begun withdrawing from bases in southwest Niger, marking the start of a departure demanded by Niger's junta that has dealt a further blow to France's influence in West Africa's conflict-hit Sahel region. Pickup trucks and armoured personnel carriers laden with French troops drove through the dusty outskirts of the capital Niamey on Tuesday, a Reuters reporter said, after the junta late on Monday said the withdrawal would kick off the following day. A few dozen French servicemen flew out of Niger on a military plane on Monday, an airport worker and two other sources familiar with the flight said. A joint France-Niger withdrawal plan, seen by Reuters, said Niger's military would provide security back-up to the French convoys withdrawing by land. (Reporting by Abdel-Kader Mazou and Boureima Balima; Additional reporting and writing by Hereward Holland; Editing by Alessandra Prentice and Jonathan Oatis)

Persons: Monday, Abdel, Kader Mazou, Hereward Holland, Alessandra Prentice, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Niger's, Reuters Locations: NIAMEY, Niger, West, Niamey, Chad, France, Mali, Burkina Faso, Africa

☆ Cocoa farmers face mounting challenges as El Nino rages on
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-10 | by ( Quek Jie Ann | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Frequent extreme weather events caused by El Nino and climate change hurts cocoa production. According to the the latest El Nino-Southern Oscillation Outlook, El Nino is expected to last through January to March 2024, with a 71% chance it will intensify from November to January. An intensified and frequent El Nino effect could significantly reduce the amount of arable land for cocoa cultivation. watch nowAccording to a report by the Economist Intelligence Unit, a high intensity El Nino may result in severe economic disruption across Africa. The financial cost of El Nino and climate change remains unquantified for Cote d'Ivoire and Ghana.

Persons: Cristina Aldehuela, El, El Nino, Nino, Jonathan Haines, it's, Kerry Daroci, Daroci, That's, Steffany Bermudez, Bermudez Organizations: Afp, Getty, El, El Nino, Southern Oscillation, Gro Intelligence, CNBC, Cocoa, Rainforest Alliance, International Cocoa Organization ., West Africa's Cote d'Ivoire, National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, Economist Intelligence Unit, Cote d'Ivoire, West, Rainforest, International Cocoa Organization, Environmental Protection Agency, International Institute for Sustainable Development Locations: Asikasu, Ghana, El Nino, West, West Africa, Kerry, Brazil, Ecuador, International Cocoa Organization . Asia, Pacific, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, West Africa's Cote, Ivory, Ivory Coast, Africa, London, New York

☆ Blinken Reiterates US Support for Niger Civilian Govt in Call With Ousted Leader
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-09 | by ( Oct. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke on Monday with Niger's President Mohamed Bazoum, who was ousted in a military coup in July, to reiterate Washington's support for the African country's democratically elected government, the State Department said in a statement. Blinken told Bazoum that a civilian-led government "presents the best opportunity to ensure that Niger remains a strong partner in security and development in the region," the statement said. Soldiers from the presidential guard detained Bazoum on July 26 and have set up a transitional government, one of a series of recent coups in West Africa's Sahel region. "The United States calls for the immediate release of all those unjustly detained following the military takeover," the State Department said. (Reporting by Eric Beech; editing by Dan Whitcomb)

Persons: Antony Blinken, Mohamed Bazoum, Blinken, Bazoum, Eric Beech, Dan Whitcomb Organizations: WASHINGTON, African, State Department Locations: Niger, West Africa's, United States

☆ Mali in meltdown as militants advance and U.N. withdraws
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-03 | by ( Edward Mcallister | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

[1/5] A man walks toward Sankore mosque, also known as the former University of Sankore, in Timbuktu, Mali September 25, 2023. "This conflict is escalating fast," said Ulf Laessing, the Bamako-based head of the Sahel programme at the Konrad Adenauer foundation. Back in 2012, French forces and the U.N. intervened to halt the advance in Mali. In Mali, fighting began in August between the army and an ethnic Tuareg group called the Coordination of Azawad Movements (CMA) around a base vacated by the U.N. "The problem is Mali has too few troops and too little mobility," said Michael Shurkin, director of global programs at 14 North Strategies consultancy.

Persons: Stringer, Sory Touré, jihadists, Ulf Laessing, Konrad Adenauer, Russia's Wagner, Jama'at Nusrat al, Michael Shurkin, Iyad Ag, Shurkin, Mohamed Massaya, Salaha, Aicha Sababou, Edward McAllister, Alexandra Zavis, Edmund Blair Organizations: University of Sankore, REUTERS, U.N, United Nations, Islamic, Reuters Graphics, CMA, Ghali, Transitional Council, Reuters, Authorities, Thomson Locations: Sankore, Timbuktu, Mali, DAKAR, jihadists, al Qaeda, Islamic State, West, Burkina Faso, Niger, Bamako, France, U.S, Sahara, Benin, Togo, Ivory Coast, Al Qaeda, Gao, Dakar

☆ Burkina Faso junta says it thwarted coup attempt
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A man holds his national flag as people gather to show their support to the Junta leader Ibrahim Traore and demand the departure of the French ambassador at the Place de la Nation in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso January 20, 2023. REUTERS/Vincent Bado/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsDAKAR, Sept 27 (Reuters) - Burkina Faso's military junta said on Wednesday that a coup attempt had been thwarted the previous day by security and intelligence services, without providing specifics on what had happened. In a statement, it said it had on Wednesday opened an investigation based on "credible allegations about a plot against state security implicating officers." The junta on Monday suspended French news magazine Jeune Afrique for publishing "untruthful" articles that reported tension and discontent within Burkina Faso's armed forces. Over 50 Burkinabe soldiers and volunteer fighters were killed in clashes with militants in early September - the heaviest losses in months.

Persons: Ibrahim Traore, Vincent Bado, Alessandra Prentice, Chris Reese, Grant McCool Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Burkina Faso's, Jeune Afrique, Islamic, Reuters, Thomson Locations: French, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, Burkina, Republic, al Qaeda, Islamic State, West Africa's

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

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

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

☆ Huge protests in Niger call for French forces to leave after coup
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-02 | by ( Boureima Balima | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Anti-French sentiment has risen in Niger since the coup but soured further last week when France ignored the junta's order for its ambassador, Sylvain Itte, to leave. Reuters reporters said it was the biggest gathering yet since the coup, suggesting that support for the junta - and derision of France - was not waning. France had cordial relations with ousted President Mohamed Bazoum and has about 1,500 troops stationed in Niger. On Friday, French President Emmanuel Macron said he spoke to Bazoum every day and that "the decisions we will take, whatever they may be, will be based upon exchanges with Bazoum." West Africa's regional bloc ECOWAS has slapped sanctions on Niger and threatened military action as a last resort.

Persons: Mahamadou, Paris, Sylvain Itte, Yacouba, Mohamed Bazoum, Emmanuel Macron, Niger's, Bola Tinubu, Edward McAllister, David Holmes Organizations: REUTERS, Police, France, ECOWAS, Thomson Locations: Niamey, Niger, NIAMEY, Niger's, West, Central Africa, France, West Africa, Mali, Burkina Faso, Africa's, United States

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

REUTERS/Francis Kokoroko Acquire Licensing RightsABUJA/NIAMEY, Aug 19 (Reuters) - A delegation from West Africa's main regional bloc ECOWAS met Niger's ousted president Mohamed Bazoum and held talks with junta leader General Abdourahmane Tiani in the capital Niamey on Saturday, a Nigerian presidential spokesperson said. The group that flew in was led by Nigeria's former military leader Abdulsalami Abubakar and included ECOWAS commission president Omar Touray, the source said. "After meeting .... (junta leader) General Abdoulrahmane Tchiani, the ECOWAS delegation in Niger have also visited President Mohamed Bazoum this evening," he wrote on messaging platform X, formerly known as Twitter. There was no immediate comment from the junta, which has held president Mohamed Bazoum since seizing power despite international calls for his release. ECOWAS has taken a harder stance on the Niger coup, the wider region's seventh in three years, than it did on previous ones.

Persons: Francis Kokoroko, Niger's, Mohamed Bazoum, General Abdourahmane Tiani, Abdulsalami Abubakar, Omar Touray, Abdulaziz Abdulaziz, General Abdoulrahmane Tchiani, Tiani, Alessandra Prentice, Toby Chopra, Jane Merriman Organizations: Chiefs, Defense, REUTERS, Rights, ECOWAS, West, Twitter, Islamic, U.S . State Department, Thomson Locations: Republic of Niger, Accra, Ghana, Rights ABUJA, NIAMEY, West Africa's, Niamey, Niger, al Qaeda, Islamic State

☆ West Africa delegation met ousted president Bazoum during Niger visit
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

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 Photo Acquire Licensing RightsAug 19 (Reuters) - A delegation from West Africa's main regional bloc met Niger's ousted president Mohamed Bazoum and junta leader General Abdourahmane Tiani during a visit to the capital Niamey on Saturday, a Nigerian presidential spokesperson said in an online post. Reporting by Felix Onuah Writing by Alessandra Prentice; Editing by Alison WilliamsOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Mohamed Bazoum, Mike Segar, Niger's, General Abdourahmane Tiani, Felix Onuah, Alessandra Prentice, Alison Williams Organizations: United Nations General Assembly, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: U.N, New York City, U.S, West Africa's, Niamey

[1/2] Thousands of young Nigeriens gather as they heed call to sign up as non-military volunteers to back up the junta in the capital Niamey, Niger August 19, 2023. That is what made us halt this census," Hima said by the stadium after the crowds dispersed. POSSIBLE ATTACK"They called on the youth to respond to a possible attack on our soil. An ECOWAS delegation flew into Niamey on Saturday to hold talks with the junta, showing that efforts to resolve the standoff peacefully are still underway. At the stadium on Saturday, 35-year-old Kader Haliou said patriotism was not the only motivation for those wanting to help the junta.

Persons: Mahamadou, Mohamed Bazoum, Younoussa Hima, Hima, Tahirou Seydou, nodded, Kader Haliou, Alessandra Prentice, David Holmes Organizations: REUTERS, Niger's, Young People, Fatherland, Economic, West African States, ECOWAS, World Bank, Thomson Locations: Niamey, Niger, NIAMEY, West, Africa's

☆ West African bloc holds talks in Niger with junta
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The ECOWAS Committee of Chiefs of Defense staff brief the press on plans to deploy its standby force to the Republic of Niger, in Accra, Ghana, August 18, 2023. REUTERS/Francis Kokoroko Acquire Licensing RightsABUJA, Nigeria Aug 19 (Reuters) - A delegation from West Africa's main regional bloc ECOWAS flew to Niger's capital Niamey on Saturday to hold talks with the junta, an ECOWAS source told Reuters, as the bloc pursues diplomatic ways to overturn the July 26 coup. ECOWAS has taken a harder stance on the Niger coup, the wider region's seventh in three years, than it did on previous ones. The credibility of the bloc is at stake because it had said it would tolerate no further such overthrows. Reporting by Felix Onuah Writing by Alessandra Prentice; Editing by Toby ChopraOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Francis Kokoroko, Mohamed Bazoum, Omar Touray, Felix Onuah, Alessandra Prentice, Toby Chopra Organizations: Chiefs, Defense, REUTERS, Rights, ECOWAS, Thomson Locations: Republic of Niger, Accra, Ghana, Rights ABUJA, Nigeria, West Africa's, Niamey, Niger

☆ West African militaries meet to finalise possible Niger intervention
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Military personnel gesture as the ECOWAS anthem is played during a meeting of the Committee of Chiefs of Defense staff on the deployment of the ECOWAS standby force in the Republic of Niger, in Accra, Ghana. REUTERS/Francis Kokoroko Acquire Licensing RightsACCRA/NIAMEY, Aug 18 (Reuters) - West African army chiefs were due to hold a second and final day of talks on Friday in Ghana's capital Accra, where they have been hashing out the details of a possible military intervention in Niger if diplomacy fails to reverse a military coup. Military officers deposed Nigerien President Mohamed Bazoum on July 26 and have defied calls from the United Nations, the West African bloc ECOWAS and others to reinstate him, prompting regional powers to order a standby force to be assembled. He said most of the bloc's 15 member states were prepared to participate in the standby force excepting those also under military rule - Mali, Burkina Faso and Guinea - and tiny Cape Verde. Any escalation would further destabilise West Africa's impoverished Sahel region, which is already battling a decade-old Islamist insurgency.

Persons: Francis Kokoroko, Mohamed Bazoum, Security Abdel, Fatau Musah, Alessandra Prentice, Philippa Fletcher Organizations: ECOWAS, Chiefs, Defense, REUTERS, Rights, United Nations, West African, Political Affairs, Peace, Security, Islamic, Thomson Locations: Republic of Niger, Accra, Ghana, Rights ACCRA, NIAMEY, Ghana's, Niger, West Africa, Mali, Burkina Faso, Guinea, Cape Verde, Sahel, al Qaeda

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

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

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

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

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

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

☆ 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

☆ 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

☆ West Africa bloc seeks ways to engage with Niger junta
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-13 | by ( Edward Mcallister | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Niger's junta supporters take part in a demonstration in front of a French army base in Niamey, Niger, August 11, 2023. REUTERS/Mahamadou Hamidou/File PhotoDAKAR, Aug 12 (Reuters) - West Africa's regional bloc kept up its search on Sunday for diplomatic ways to overturn last month's coup in Niger, while retaining the threat of military intervention amid a crisis that has sucked in global superpowers. U.S., French, German and Italian troops are stationed in Niger, in a region where local affiliates of al Qaeda and Islamic State have killed thousands and displaced millions. Western powers fear Russia's clout could increase if the junta in Niger follows neighbouring Mali and Burkina Faso, which ejected the troops of former colonial power France after coups in those countries. Reporting by Edward McAllister; Editing by Ingrid Melander and Hugh LawsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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

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