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☆ 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 African regional group weighs next steps on Niger
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 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 HamidouDAKAR, Aug 12 (Reuters) - West African leaders were weighing their next moves on Saturday as they seek to overturn a military coup in Niger that has rocked the region but also triggered a groundswell of support in the country. The rally began at a French military base in the capital Niamey, then protesters with signs and flags spread onto surrounding streets. "Down with France.... Down with ECOWAS," referring to the Economic Community of West African States. It was not yet clear how long the ECOWAS force would take to assemble, how big it would be and if it would actually invade.

Persons: Mohamed Bazoum, Russia's, Human Rights Volker Turk, Edward McAllister, Ingrid Melander, Mark Potter Organizations: REUTERS, ECOWAS, al, Islamic, Economic, West, Regional, African Union, European Union, United Nations, Human Rights, Thomson Locations: Niamey, Niger, DAKAR, West Africa, West, Central Africa, U.S, al Qaeda, Islamic State, Russia, France, Down, West African States, United States

☆ West African nations mull troop contributions for possible Niger intervention
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-11 | by ( Boureima Balima | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

West African leaders gather for Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Head of States and Government meeting in Abuja, Nigeria August 10, 2023. ECOWAS (the Economic Community of West African States) said all options were on the table and they still hoped for a peaceful resolution to the Niger crisis. Security analysts said an ECOWAS force could take weeks or longer to assemble, potentially leaving room for negotiations. Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara on Thursday promised to supply a battalion of troops to the standby force. The African Union welcomed ECOWAS' decision to activate a regional force and continue to seek a diplomatic solution.

Persons: Abraham Achirga, Mohamed Bazoum, Alassane Ouattara, Sering Modou, Ledgerhood Rennie, Ikemesit Effiong, Hama Moussa, Issa Seydou, Antony Blinken, Bazoum, They’ve, Pap, Ange Aboa, Alberto Dabo, Alphonso Toweh, Diadie, Edward McAllister, Anait Miridzhanian, Nellie Peyton, David Lewis, Ingrid Melander, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Economic Community, West African States, REUTERS, ECOWAS, Economic, West, Ivory, SBM Intelligence, African Union, Military, EU, Rights Watch, Thomson Locations: Abuja, Nigeria, NIAMEY, Niger, West, Central Africa, West African States, Ivory Coast, Ivorian, Senegal, Sahel, U.S, Niamey, Russia, France, United States, Mali, Burkina Faso, Banjul, Abidjan, Bissau, Monrivia, Diadie Ba, Dakar

"Our drone base in Niger is extremely important in countering terrorism in the region," one of the U.S. officials said. FOREIGN ASSISTANCEThe Biden administration has not formally labeled the military takeover in Niger a coup, a designation that would limit what security assistance Washington can provide the country. The U.S. drone base has grown in importance due to a lack of Western security partners in the region. The drone base, known as airbase 201, was built near Agadez in central Niger at a cost of more than $100 million. Wagner's chief, Yevgeny Prigozhin, has welcomed the coup in Niger and said his forces were available to restore order.

Persons: Abdourahmane Tiani, Balima, Mohamed Bazoum, Russia's Wagner, Biden, Antony Blinken, Nusrat al, Cameron Hudson, Hudson, Terence McCulley, WAGNER, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, Idrees Ali, Daphne Psaledakis, Simon Lewis, Michelle Nichols, Don Durfee, Deepa Babington Organizations: REUTERS, Nigerien, Islamic State, Al, West African, Center for Strategic, International Studies, United States Institute of Peace, Wagner Group, ., U.S, Thomson Locations: Niger, Niamey, United States, Sahel, Al Qaeda, France, Africa, insurgencies, Russia, China, Washington, U.S, Mali, Burkina Faso, Agadez, State, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Niger's, Nigerien

☆ Italy cuts troops in Niger to free up military base space for civilians
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Italian nationals and other European and American citizens, who have been evacuated from Niger, days after a junta seized power in the west African country, arrive at Ciampino Airport, near Rome, Italy, August 2, 2023. West Africa's regional bloc ECOWAS has threatened military intervention in Niger unless a July 26 military coup is reversed. The airlift was arranged to increase the "logistical autonomy" of the Italian military base, "optimising its accommodation capacity, if it becomes necessary to take in civilian compatriots and, in an emergency, evacuate them." The ministry said more flights out of Niger are planned in the coming days, adding that for the moment 250 Italian troops, deployed for counter-insurgency and military training missions, remain in the country. Last week Italy evacuated 36 of its nationals from Niamey, as well as dozens more citizens of other countries, leaving about 40 Italian civilians, mostly NGO workers, still present in Niger.

Persons: Remo Casilli, Mohamed Bazoum, insurgencies, Alvise, Frances Kerry Organizations: Ciampino, REUTERS, ECOWAS, Thomson Locations: Niger, Rome, Italy, West Africa's, Nigerien, Niamey, U.S, Niger . Italy, United States, France

☆ West African bloc sends mission to Niger to negotiate with coup leaders
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Camillus Eboh | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Nigerien security forces prepare to disperse pro-junta demonstrators gathered outside the French embassy, in Niamey, the capital city of Niger July 30, 2023. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has imposed sanctions on Niger and threatened to authorise the use of force if the coup leaders do not reinstate elected President Mohamed Bazoum within a week from last Sunday. "There is a need to demonstrate that we cannot only bark but can bite," he told reporters, as regional defence chiefs started a two-day meeting in the Nigerian capital Abuja. "The task of restoring democratic governance in Niger is fraught with potential hurdles and complications," said General Christopher Musa, Nigeria's Chief of Defence and Chairman of the ECOWAS Defence Chiefs. Niger is the world's seventh-biggest producer of uranium, the radioactive metal widely used for nuclear energy and treating cancer.

Persons: Mohamed Bazoum, Abdel, Fatau Musah, Abdulsalami Abubakar, Abubakar, Christopher Musa, Abdourahmane Tiani, Bazoum, James, Bola Tinubu, Annalena Baerbock, Charles, Camillus Eboh, Felix Onuah, Christophe Van Der Perre, Ingrid Melander, Nellie Peyton, Alex Richardson, Nick Macfie Organizations: REUTERS, Abuja Junta, Islamists, African, ECOWAS, West African States, Political Affairs, Peace, Security, Defence, ECOWAS Defence Chiefs, British, European Union, Reuters, Islamic, Union, Thomson Locations: Niamey, Niger, Abuja, Islamists Mali, Burkina Faso, NIAMEY, ABUJA, Nigerian, West Africa, Mali, Guinea, Bissau, Nigeria's, France, Italy, Paris, Rome, United States, Germany, al Qaeda, Islamic State

PARIS, Aug 1 (Reuters) - France will evacuate French and European citizens from Niger, starting on Tuesday, its foreign ministry said, days after a junta seized power in the west African country. On Sunday, supporters of the junta burned French flags and attacked the French embassy in Niger's capital, Niamey, prompting police to fire volleys of tear gas in response. According to the French foreign ministry website, there were just under 1,200 French nationals in Niger in 2022. Niger is the world's seventh-biggest producer of uranium, the radioactive metal widely used for nuclear energy and treating cancer. But the juntas of neighbouring Burkina Faso, Mali and Guinea all voiced their support for the coup's leaders on Monday.

Persons: Mohamed Bazoum, Catherine Colonna, BFM, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Russia's Wagner, Bazoum, Michel Rose, Sudip Kar, Layli, Blandine Henault, Charlotte van Campenhout, Ingrid Melander, Christina Fincher, Alex Richardson Organizations: French, Regional, ECOWAS, Thomson Locations: France, Niger, West, Central Africa, Russia, Niger's, Niamey, Russian, Sahel, Burkina Faso, Mali, Guinea

PARIS, Aug 1 (Reuters) - France plans to evacuate hundreds of French and European citizens from Niger over the next 24 hours, its foreign minister said on Tuesday, days after a junta seized power in the west African country. She estimated that hundreds of French citizens and hundreds of citizens from other EU countries wanted to be evacuated. The United States, Germany, and Italy have troops in Niger on counter-insurgency and training missions. Colonna said France had talked with authorities in Niger to make sure the evacuation could proceed safely. A spokesperson for the EU Commission said EU utilities had sufficient inventories of natural uranium to mitigate any short-term supply risks.

Persons: Mohamed Bazoum, Catherine Colonna, France's, Colonna, France, DESTABILISATION, France's BFM, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Russia's Wagner, Orano, Bazoum, Michel Rose, Sudip Kar, Layli, Blandine Henault, Charlotte van Campenhout, Ingrid Melander, Nellie Peyton, Christina Fincher, Alex Richardson, Alexandra Hudson Organizations: Islamic, Kremlin, EU Commission, Nigerien, Regional, ECOWAS, Alexandra Hudson Our, Thomson Locations: France, Niger, West, Central Africa, Russia, Islamic State, al Qaeda, Sahel, Niger's, Niamey, Italy, United States, Germany, Russian, Burkina Faso, Mali, Guinea

It has yet to disburse a $131.5 million loan to Niger that was approved on July 5, it added. The interior minister, transport minister, and a deputy had already been detained, it added. The arrests confirm the "repressive and dictatorial" nature of the coup leaders, the party said in a statement, calling on citizens to come together to protect democracy. The arrests were announced a day after Chadian President Mahamat Idriss Deby arrived in Niger to try to mediate between the coup leaders and the ousted government. Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of Russia's Wagner mercenary group, last week welcomed the coup in Niger, and said his forces were available to restore order.

Persons: Niger's, Mohamed Bazoum, Mahamane Sani Mahamadou, Issoufou Mahamadou, Mahamat Idriss Deby, Deby, Bazoum, Ursula von der Leyen, Emmanuel Macron, Abdourahamane Tiani, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Russia's Wagner, Antonio Tajani, Boureima Balima, Abdel, Kader Mazou, Anait Miridzhanian, Bate Felix, Nellie Peyton, Sofia Christensen, Alexander Winning, Bernadette Baum, Andrew Heavens, Nick Macfie Organizations: International Monetary Fund, IMF, CFA, West, African Union, European Union, Islamic, Junta, Nigerien Party for Democracy and, Chadian, ECOWAS, EU, REUTERS, Twitter, French Foreign Ministry, Paris, White, Thomson Locations: NIAMEY, Niger, West, Central Africa, United States, France, Islamic State, al Qaeda, EU, U.S, Nigerien, Niamey, Mali, Burkina Faso, Russia, Niger's

Washington's objective is to support West Africa's regional bloc ECOWAS in its efforts to reverse the takeover, the senior State Department official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. "We don't think it's fully successful, and we think there's a narrow opportunity to reverse it," the official told reporters. ECOWAS on Sunday gave Niger coup leaders one week to reinstate ousted Bazoum or face sanctions and the possible use of force. A change in government would affect Washington's ability to engage in Niger, though there are some exceptions to the law for counterterrorism, the official said. Niger and its neighbors Mali, Burkina Faso, Nigeria and Chad are all struggling to repel Islamist insurgents.

Persons: Mohamed Bazoum, Bazoum, Washington, Daphne Psaledakis, Humeyra Pamuk, Simon Lewis, Marguerita Choy Organizations: West, ECOWAS, senior State Department, Sunday, Islamic, ., U.S, Thomson Locations: Niger, U.S, West, Central Africa, France, Islamic State, al Qaeda, Mali, Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Chad

☆ Nigerian President Tinubu chosen as new West Africa bloc chief
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( Felix Onuah | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

ABUJA, July 10 (Reuters) - West African regional bloc ECOWAS has chosen Nigerian President Bola Tinubu as its new chairman at a time of deepening insecurity, including military coups and terrorism, in the region. West Africa has witnessed six successful military coups since 2020, marking a backslide of democracy in a region that had been seen to be making progress in shedding its "coup belt" moniker. Tinubu, who was voted in on Sunday and takes over from President Umaro Sissoco Embalo of Guinea-Bissau, called for swift action against insecurity including terrorism and coups in West Africa which he said had reached "alarming proportion." "On peace and security, the threat has reached an alarming level and needs urgent actions in addressing the challenges. Tinubu pledged to prioritise political stability, peace and security and regional economic integration in the 16-member ECOWAS.

Persons: Bola Tinubu, Umaro Sissoco, ”, Tinubu, Felix Onuah, Elisha Bala Organizations: African, ECOWAS, Thomson Locations: ABUJA, West Africa, Guinea, Bissau

BAMAKO, June 18 (Reuters) - Malians will vote on Sunday in a referendum on changing the constitution that the ruling military junta and regional powers have said will pave the way to elections and a return to civilian rule. "Now is the time to confirm our commitment to the new Mali," he added, wearing his trademark beret and military fatigues. They also say the proposed constitution hands excessive authority to the president including over the legislative process. "I am for a revision of the constitution but not this referendum. Writing by Alessandra Prentice; Editing by Andrew HeavensOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Assimi Goita, Fousseini Ag Yehia, Alessandra Prentice, Andrew Heavens Organizations: West African, ECOWAS, Nations, West African Economic, Monetary Union, Thomson Locations: BAMAKO, Mali, Bamako, Saturday

☆ Mali sets date for delayed vote, saying it's true to its word on democracy
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The vote, initially scheduled for March 19, is the first in a series of polls meant to restore democracy in the West African country after two military takeovers since August 2020. It was delayed days before that date to give electoral management authorities more time to set up in all of Mali's 19 administrative regions. He added that the new date showed authorities were true to their word and democratic commitments. Similar frustrations contributed to two military takeovers in neighbouring Burkina Faso last year. Military rulers in both countries have previously blamed election delays on insecurity, saying it made it difficult to organise polls.

Abuja, Nigeria CNN —A Nigerian senator, his wife and a doctor were on Friday jailed in the UK over an organ harvesting plot, Britain’s Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said in a statement. Senator Ike Ekweremadu, his wife Beatrice and Dr. Obinna Obeta were sentenced at the UK’s Old Bailey court to nine years and eight months, four years and six months, and 10 years in prison respectively. Some of the country’s political class wrote to the UK court appealing for leniency ahead of his sentencing, including Nigeria’s former President Olusegun Obasanjo. Ekweremadu served as speaker of the ECOWAS parliament between 2011 and 2015. But the calls for clemency failed to hold sway over the UK court and some in Nigeria questioned why high profile politicians were using their influence to advocate for a convicted criminal.

☆ Nigeria: Clemency pleas for senator found guilty of organ harvesting plot in UK
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Nimi Princewill | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Abuja, Nigeria CNN —Nigerian MP Ike Ekweremadu will be sentenced in the UK Friday after being found guilty of an organ harvesting plot, but fellow lawmakers in his country have joined growing calls for leniency in his case. Many of the country’s political class have written to the UK courts appealing for leniency during his sentencing, including Nigeria’s former President Olusegun Obasanjo. … The conviction has already been done but we are seeking clemency because this is the first time our colleague is getting involved in this kind of thing,” Lawan said. Ekweremadu served as speaker of the ECOWAS parliament between 2011 and 2015. But the calls for clemency are unlikely to hold any sway over the UK court and some in Nigeria have raised eyebrows that high profile politicians are using their influence to advocate for a convicted criminal.

☆ Russia, South Africa and a 'redesigned global order': The Kremlin's hearts and minds machine is steaming ahead
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov visited Pretoria as part of an African tour, his second since the invasion, which will also reportedly take him to Botswana, Angola and Eswatini. On Feb. 24 2022, shortly after the Ukraine invasion, South Africa urged Russia to immediately withdraw its forces from Ukraine. South Africa was one of 15 African nations to abstain from the subsequent U.N. vote in March to condemn Russia's war of aggression. watch nowShe emphasized the multilateral responsibilities of the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) bloc of leading emerging economies in a changing global landscape. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Monday that "the United States has concerns about any country … exercising with Russia as Russia wages a brutal war against Ukraine."

☆ Burkina Faso coup: ECOWAS mediator 'satisfied' after meeting new military leader
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-05 | by ( Story Reuters | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —The mediator sent to Burkina Faso by West Africa’s main political and economic bloc ECOWAS, Mahamadou Issoufou, on Tuesday said he was satisfied by a meeting with the country’s new military leader Ibrahim Traore. Issoufou added that the 15-member bloc would continue accompanying Burkina Faso’s transition to constitutional rule after the country was hit by its second military takeover this year. “I can assure you that ECOWAS will remain with the people of Burkina Faso … and the difficult challenge they face,” he added. Burkina Faso’s government released a statement saying the meeting took place but provided no further comments. ECOWAS is struggling to facilitate a return to constitutional order in Burkina Faso, Chad, Guinea, and Mali, all of which have seen coups since 2020.

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