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☆ Niger junta instructs police to expel French ambassador
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Nigerien security forces launch tear gas to disperse pro-junta demonstrators gathered outside the French embassy, in Niamey, the capital city of Niger July 30, 2023. REUTERS/Souleymane Ag Anara/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNIAMEY, Aug 31 (Reuters) - The junta that seized power in Niger last month said that the French ambassador to Niger, Sylvain Itte, no longer had diplomatic immunity and police had been instructed to expel him. The junta on Friday ordered the ambassador to leave the country within 48 hours in response to actions taken by the French government which it said were "contrary to the interests of Niger". The visas of the ambassador and his family were cancelled, the junta said in a statement dated Aug. 29 and confirmed as authentic by the junta's head of communications. French President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday that the ambassador would stay in the country despite the junta's pressure and reiterated France's support to Niger's ousted president Mohamed Bazoum.

Persons: Sylvain Itte, Emmanuel Macron, Niger's, Mohamed Bazoum, Boureima Balima, Anait Miridzhanian, Alexander Winning Organizations: REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Nigerien, Niamey, Niger, NIAMEY

CNN —The military junta in Niger has canceled the visa of the French ambassador and instructed police to expel him, after ordering the diplomat last week to leave the country. The police services have been instructed therefore to proceed with his expulsion.”The decision taken on August 25 regarding the ambassador’s accreditation is “irrevocable,” the junta added in the letter. French envoy Sylvain Itte was told to leave by the junta for refusing to attend a meeting scheduled with Niger’s foreign minister, including “other actions by the French government that are against Niger’s interest,” the Nigerien foreign ministry said last week. French President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday that Itte will not leave Niger, despite the expiration of the junta’s deadline for his departure. Up to 1,500 French soldiers are stationed in Niger, which has been a major partner of the French in the Sahel region.

Persons: ”, Sylvain Itte, “, Mohamed Bazoum, Emmanuel Macron, Itte Organizations: CNN, Nigerien Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Nigerien, Embassy, French Ministry of Foreign Affairs Locations: Niger, French, France, Sahel

☆ Analysis: With Gabon, Africa's coup wave shows little sign of stopping
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( Edward Mcallister | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

If successful, Wednesday's coup in Gabon would be the eighth in West and Central Africa in three years. Widespread condemnation, or the threat of military intervention, have done little to unseat coup leaders in Mali, Burkina Faso, Guinea, Niger and Chad since 2020. Minutes before the coup announcement, Gabon's election authority declared him the emphatic victor of Saturday's election. I am calling on you to make noise, to make noise, to make noise. The triggers for the Gabon coup were different to those in the Sahel countries further north, where insecurity caused by Islamist militants has done much to sway public opinion.

Persons: Ali Bongo, Bongo, Gabon's, Maja Bovcon, Verisk, Omar, Mohamed Bazoum, Paul Biya, Denis Sassou Nguesso, Ryan Cummings, Edward McAllister, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: REUTERS, REUTERS Acquire, London, African Union, Thomson Locations: Gabon, DAKAR, West, Central Africa, Mali, Burkina Faso, Guinea, Niger, Chad, Africa, United States, France, Cameroon, Congo Republic, South Africa

☆ Recent coups in West and Central Africa
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

BURKINA FASOIn January 2022, Burkina Faso's army ousted President Roch Kabore, blaming him for failing to contain violence by Islamist militants. Doumbouya became interim president and promised a transition to democratic elections within three years. CHADIn April 2021, Chad's army took power after President Idriss Deby was killed on the battlefield while visiting troops fighting rebels in the north. Deby's son, General Mahamat Idriss Deby, was named interim president and tasked with overseeing an 18-month transition to elections. But the coup leaders clashed with the interim president, retired colonel Bah Ndaw, and engineered a second coup in May 2021.

Persons: Gerauds Wilfried Obangome, Ali Bongo, Mohamed Bazoum, Abdourahamane Tiani, Burkina Faso's, Roch Kabore, Colonel Paul, Henri Damiba, Captain Ibrahim Traore, Mamady Doumbouya, Alpha Conde, Conde, Doumbouya, Idriss Deby, General Mahamat Idriss Deby, Assimi Goita, Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, Bah Ndaw, Goita, Hereward Organizations: REUTERS, Islamic, West, ECOWAS, Chadian, Mali's West, Thomson Locations: Libreville, Gabon, West, Central Africa, NIGER, Niger, al Qaeda, Islamic State, Mali, Burkina, BURKINA FASO, GUINEA, CHAD, N'Djamena, MALI

☆ Fact Check-Video does not show Wagner mercenaries landing in Niger
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A years-old video of a plane landing is being shared on social media to falsely claim it’s proof of Wagner mercenary fighters arriving in Niger in 2023. Authorities in Niger have officially confirmed the presence of Wagner fighters in the country” (here). Reuters did not independently verify the location of the 2006 video, though the deserted area around the runway coupled with buildings close by is markedly similar to the topography around Khartoum International Airport. Reuters’ reporting on the coup in Niger can be found (here). The video dates to at least 2006, thus is unrelated to Wagner and the 2023 coup in Niger.

Persons: Wagner, Mohamed Bazoum, Read Organizations: West African, ECOWAS, Wagner PMC, Authorities, Facebook, Reuters, YouTube, Khartoum International, Google, Center for Strategic, International Studies Locations: Niger, Khartoum, Sudan

CNN —France’s ambassador to Niger is staying put in the West African country in defiance of an ultimatum by its military rulers ordering his exit within 48 hours on Friday. French President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday that Itte will not leave Niger, despite the expiration of the junta’s deadline. Up to 1,500 French soldiers are stationed in Niger, which has been a major partner of the French in the Sahel region. “As already expressed, the European Union does not and will not recognize the authorities resulting from the putsch in Niger,” Massrali added. Also at the weekend, pro-junta demonstrators, mostly nationals of neighboring Benin and Burkina Faso thronged the streets to express support for Niger’s military administration.

Persons: CNN —, Sylvain Itte, Emmanuel Macron, Itte, Macron, ”, Mohamed Bazoum, Bazoum, Monday, “, Nabila Massrali, Massrali Organizations: CNN, Nigerien, European Union, EU, Niger, ECOWAS Locations: Niger, West, ” France, France, Sahel, European, ., Benin, Burkina Faso, Mali

☆ Macron says French ambassador will stay in Niger, despite pressure from junta to leave
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-28 | by ( Michel Rose | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

French President Emmanuel Macron gives a speech in front of French ambassadors during the conference of ambassadors at the Elysee Palace, Paris, France, August 28, 2023. TERESA SUAREZ/Pool via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsPARIS, Aug 28 (Reuters) - France's ambassador to Niger will stay in the country despite pressure to leave from leaders of a recent coup, President Emmanuel Macron said in a speech to diplomats on Monday. Macron also reiterated France's support to Niger's ousted president Mohamed Bazoum, whose decision not to resign Macron called courageous. It's based on the courage of President Bazoum, and on the commitments of our ambassador on the ground who is remaining despite all the pressure, despite all the declarations made by the illegitimate authorities," said Macron. On Friday, Niger's junta, which seized power in a coup on July 26, said it had ordered French ambassador Sylvain Itte to leave the country within 48 hours.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron, TERESA SUAREZ, Macron, Niger's, Mohamed Bazoum, Bazoum, Sylvain Itte, Michel Rose, Blandine Henault, Tassilo Hummel, Sudip Kar, Ingrid Melander Organizations: REUTERS Acquire, Rights, Niger's, West, ECOWAS, Thomson Locations: Paris, France, Niger, French, United States, Europe

☆ US says Niger has not told US ambassador to leave the country
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, Aug 25 (Reuters) - Niger's Foreign Ministry has told the U.S. government that images of letters circulating online calling for the departure of certain American diplomatic personnel were not issued by the ministry, a U.S. State Department spokesperson said. "No such request has been made to the U.S. government," the spokesperson said after AFP reported that Niger had given the U.S. ambassador 48 hours to leave the African country. The United States has been pressing for a diplomatic resolution of the crisis that erupted on July 26 when Niger military officers seized power, deposed President Mohamed Bazoum and placed him under house arrest. Ambassador to Niger Kathleen Fitzgibbons only arrived in the capital, Niamey, earlier this month. Reporting by Jasper Ward; editing by Costas Pitas, Chris Reese and Rosalba O'BrienOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Mohamed Bazoum, Niger Kathleen Fitzgibbons, Jasper Ward, Costas Pitas, Chris Reese, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: U.S ., U.S . State Department, ., AFP, United, Niger, Thomson Locations: U.S, Niger, United States, Ambassador, Niamey

☆ Niger junta expels French ambassador
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-25 | by ( ) 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. In a statement, the junta-appointed foreign ministry said the decision to expel the ambassador was a response to actions taken by the French government that were "contrary to the interests of Niger." It said these included the envoy's refusal to respond to an invitation to meet Niger's new foreign minister. The French foreign ministry did not immediately reply to a request for comment. The deterioration in Niger-France relations echoes post-coup developments in Mali and Burkina Faso, which have booted out French forces and severed long-standing ties.

Persons: Mahamadou, Sylvain Itte, Mohamed Bazoum, Niger's, Boureima Balima, Benoit Van Overstraeten, Anait Miridzhanian, Chris Reese, Andrew Heavens, Andy Sullivan Organizations: REUTERS, West, ECOWAS, Thomson Locations: Niamey, Niger, NIAMEY, French, Burkina Faso, Mali, France

CNN —The African Union has suspended Niger following the takeover of the West African country by a military junta on July 26. The council will review an assessment of the “economic, social and security implications of deploying a Standby Force in Niger,” it said. ECOWAS chiefs had initially given the junta a seven-day ultimatum to restore power or face consequences, including military action. That planned action did not happen as many attempts at dialogue and diplomacy have been made by ECOWAS and allies such as US and the European Union. The African Union affirmed its “solidarity” with ECOWAS’s efforts to restore constitutional order in Niger “through diplomatic means,” it said.

Persons: –, “, Security Abdel, Fatau Musah, General Abdourahamane Tchiani, Mohamed Bazoum, ” Organizations: CNN, African Union, Security, West, Economic, West African States, Force, European Union, Political Affairs, Peace, Union Locations: Niger, West, Republic of Niger, ”, Ghana

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 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

☆ US Ambassador Kathleen FitzGibbon arrives in Niger
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-19 | by ( Jennifer Hansler | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —US Ambassador Kathleen FitzGibbon arrived in Niger on Saturday, the State Department announced, taking up her post as the United States and partners continue to grapple with the military takeover in that country. “Ambassador Kathleen FitzGibbon has traveled to Niamey to lead our diplomatic mission in Niger and bolster efforts to help resolve the political crisis at this critical time. A source told CNN that one of the first things FitzGibbon intends to do is call Bazoum. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has spoken with the detained president numerous times, but Nuland was not permitted to visit him during her trip to Niamey. Nuland was also not granted a meeting with the self-proclaimed new leader of Niger, General Abdourahmane Tiani, and instead met with the self-proclaimed chief of defense, Gen. Moussa Salaou Barmou, and three colonels supporting him.

Persons: Kathleen FitzGibbon, Matthew Miller, FitzGibbon, Mohamed Bazoum, State Victoria Nuland –, Vedant Patel, ”, Bazoum, ” Patel, “, Antony Blinken, Nuland, Abdourahmane Tiani, Moussa Salaou Barmou Organizations: CNN, State Department, ”, State Victoria, Economic, West African, Senate Locations: Niger, United States, Niamey, West Africa, West African, West African States, ”, Nuland

[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 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

☆ Fact Check-Niger has not banned uranium exports to France and EU
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The 122-word caption reads in part: “Uranium Ban in Niger Sparks Protests and Energy Crisis in France and the EU’ Niger, with the world’s 7th largest uranium deposits, has banned exports to France and the EU. Despite reported fears of it happening, the country did not declare any plans to halt uranium exports as of the time of writing, Aug. 16 (here). RUSSIAN OILAlthough the European Union has banned certain types of oil supplies from Russia, the region continues to receive Russian oil. In addition, Russian pipeline oil supplies to the EU are excluded from the EU ban. Niger has not announced the halt of uranium exports to France and the EU, as of Aug. 16, and parts of the EU do still receive Russian oil.

Persons: Mohamed Bazoum, Euratom, Read Organizations: European Union, Niger Sparks, Energy, EU, World Nuclear Association, Reuters, Canada, French Le Monde Locations: Niger, France, Europe, Russia, Ukraine, Nigerien, Kazakhstan, French, Bulgaria, Russian, Hungary, Slovakia, Czech Republic

☆ 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

☆ ECOWAS sets ‘D-Day’ for possible military intervention in Niger
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( Niamh Kennedy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —The West African regional bloc ECOWAS says it has chosen an undisclosed “D-Day” for a possible military intervention to restore Niger’s democratically elected president following last month’s coup. Abdel-Fatau Musah, the Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace & Security of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) bloc, said that military forces are “ready to go anytime the order is given” for military intervention in Niger. “The D-day is also decided, which we are not going to disclose,” Musah told journalists after the two-day meeting of West African defense chiefs in the Ghanaian capital of Accra. Last week, ECOWAS ordered the “activation” of a regional standby force to prepare itself to enter Niger, which was taken over by a military junta on July 26. Leaders ECOWAS responded to the coup by enacting sanctions and issuing an ultimatum to the ruling military junta: stand down within a week or face a potential military intervention.

Persons: Abdel, Fatau Musah, ” Musah, Musah, ”, Mohamed Bazoum, Stringer Organizations: CNN, West African, ECOWAS, Political Affairs, Peace, Security, Economic, West African States, West, Nigerien, Getty Locations: Niger, Accra, Niamey, AFP, France

☆ Junta Official in Niger Claims Captive President Will Not Be Harmed
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( Elian Peltier | More About Elian Peltier | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

The top civilian official of the junta that seized power in the West African nation of Niger said in an interview on Friday that coup leaders had no intention of harming the deposed president or collaborating with the Kremlin-backed Wagner paramilitary group. The junta has been holding Niger’s president, Mohamed Bazoum, captive in his home since July 26, denying him water and electricity, and threatening to kill him if a group of West African countries were to follow through on a proposal to reverse the coup militarily. In an interview with The New York Times, Ali Lamine Zeine, who was named prime minister by the junta earlier this month, said of Mr. Bazoum, “Nothing will happen to him, because we don’t have a tradition of violence in Niger.” The pledge was at odds with the country’s history — a president was assassinated by soldiers in 1999.

Persons: Wagner, Mohamed Bazoum, Ali Lamine Zeine, Bazoum, — Organizations: Kremlin, The New York Times Locations: West African, Niger, West

When mutinous soldiers seized power in the West African nation of Burkina Faso early last year, the president of neighboring Niger struck a dismissive note. “This is nonsense,” President Mohamed Bazoum told two Western diplomats who sat in his office as news of the coup came through. How cynical was it, Mr. Bazoum remarked, that the soldiers responsible for securing Burkina Faso had overthrown the government in the name of restoring security. Now Mr. Bazoum faces the same fate. Mr. Bazoum’s Western and African allies are trying to negotiate his release, and West African army chiefs on Friday were set to finalize a possible military intervention in Niger.

Persons: Mohamed Bazoum, Bazoum, Burkina Faso, Bazoum’s Organizations: Burkina, West Locations: West African, Burkina Faso, Niger

[1/3] ECOWAS Committee of Chiefs of Defense staff meet on the deployment of its standby force in the Republic of Niger, in Accra, Ghana. Niger military officers deposed President Mohamed Bazoum on July 26 and have defied calls from the United Nations, ECOWAS and Western powers to reinstate him, prompting West African heads of state to order the standby force to be assembled. "Let no one be in doubt that if everything else fails, the valiant forces of West Africa...are ready to answer to the call of duty," ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security Abdel-Fatau Musah said. Musah accused the Niger coup leaders of "playing cat-and-mouse" with ECOWAS by refusing to meet with its envoys and seeking justifications for their takeover of power. He said most of the bloc's 15 member states were prepared to participate in the standby force that could intervene in Niger.

Persons: Francis Kokoroko, Mohamed Bazoum, Security Abdel, Fatau Musah, Russia's Wagner, I'm, Omar Yaye, Musah, Bazoum, Anait Miridzhanian, Edward McAllister, Estelle Shirbon, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Chiefs, Defense, REUTERS, West, ECOWAS, United Nations, Political Affairs, Peace, Security, European Union, Media, Thomson Locations: Republic of Niger, Accra, Ghana, Niger, Niamey, ACCRA, NIAMEY, West Africa, Gambia, Liberia, Sahel, Mali, Niger's, France, Burkina Faso, Guinea, Cape Verde

☆ 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

The military takeover in Niger has upended years of Western counterterrorism efforts in West Africa and now poses wrenching new challenges for the Biden administration’s fight against Islamist militants on the continent. American-led efforts to degrade terrorist networks around the world have largely succeeded in longtime jihadist hot spots like Iraq, Syria, and Yemen. Not so in Africa, especially in the Sahel, the vast, semiarid region south of the Sahara where groups linked to Al Qaeda and the Islamic State are gaining ground at an alarming pace. Niger, an impoverished nation of 25 million people that is nearly twice the size of Texas, has recently been the exception to that trend. Niger has slowed, but not stopped, a wave of extremists pushing south to coastal states.

Persons: Biden, Mohamed Bazoum Organizations: Islamic, Nigerien Locations: Niger, West Africa, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Africa, Sahel, Al Qaeda, Texas

☆ 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

Putin emphasized that an “exclusively peaceful political and diplomatic means,” was important in resolving the ongoing situation, the statement said. Putin also mentioned the situation in the Sahara-Sahel region while speaking in a pre-recorded message at Tuesday’s Moscow Conference on International Security (MCIS). Mali’s interim president Goita also reiterated Putin’s call for “a peaceful resolution” in Niger. “He (Putin) stressed the importance of a peaceful resolution of the situation for a more stable Sahel,” Goita said on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter. Mali hosted a large delegation of officials from the Niger junta in early August, signaling a potential partnership between the Niger junta and Wagner mercenary group.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Assimi, Republic of Mali Assimi, ”, Putin, Mohamed Bazoum’s, ” Putin, Goita, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin Organizations: CNN, Kremlin, West, Tuesday’s Moscow Conference, International Security, Central African, Twitter, UN, African, Niger Locations: Niger, West, “, Malian, Republic of Mali, Sahara, Russian, Russia, Africa, St Petersburg, Central African Republic, Mali, Libya, Libyan, African Union, Burkina Faso

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