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☆ 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

It comes amid criticism that the lending institutions are not taking climate change and the vulnerabilities of poor countries enough into account in their funding decisions. Dysfunctional because the system as a whole is too slow to respond to new challenges, such as climate change. Lee pointed to an IMF program that launched last year to help poor countries address problems like climate change. “The national policy to address climate change is lax — little or no focus is on climate change and the nexus between climate change and conflict in the Sahel is underappreciated,” Hassan said. “Go beyond the conflict itself to start prioritizing climate change as the root cause of the problem affecting these countries."

Persons: ”, William Ruto, Akinwumi Adesina, Moussa Faki, Patrick Verkooijen, Daniel Lee, Lee, Rwanda —, Carlos Lopes, It’s, Idayat Hassan, Ibrahim Audi, Femi, Lopes, ” Hassan, “, ” Mimiko, — Organizations: Global, International Energy Agency, International Monetary Fund, World Bank, New York Times, Kenyan, African Development Bank, African Union, IMF, Mandela School of Public, University of Cape, Center for Strategic, International Studies, Obafemi Awolowo University, Africa Climate Summit, International Rescue Committee, AP Locations: ABUJA, Nigeria, Africa, Africa's Sahel, Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Niger, Marrakech, Morocco, Rwanda, University of Cape Town , South Africa, Nigeria's, Katsina, Kenya

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

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

☆ 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

☆ Tanks and their big guns get all the attention, but Russia's smaller cannons are wreaking havoc against Ukrainian troops
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-10 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Tanks have big guns, but medium-caliber cannons on other armored vehicles can be just as deadly. AdvertisementAdvertisementWhile tanks and their big guns have been getting the lion's share of attention in Ukraine, another weapon is proving equally deadly. Medium-caliber cannon — the 20-mm to 40-mm cannon found on infantry fighting vehicles, air-defense vehicles, and other platforms around the world — have been wreaking damage against infantry and other targets. Personnel load the gun of a BMP-2 amphibious infantry fighting vehicle during an arms exhibition Russia in September 2013. The effectiveness of medium-caliber cannons suggest that as armored vehicles evolve, those guns will remain part of their armament.

Persons: —, Sam Cranny, Evans, Vladimir Pesnya, Cranny, Sergei Karpukhin, Keith Anderson, Winifred Brown, Cannon, Michael Peck Organizations: Tanks, Service, Security, Defence, Victory Day, Getty, Royal United Services Institute, REUTERS, M4, Bradley, US Army, Staff, M2A3 Bradley, Fort Bliss Public Affairs, Defense, Foreign Policy, Twitter, LinkedIn Locations: Ukraine, Ukrainian, Russian, Square, British, Russia, Soviet, Lithuania, Iraqi, Britain, Afghanistan, Mali, New Mexico, France, NATO, China, Forbes

BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — New fighting erupted between the Malian military and armed rebel groups in an area south of Kidal late Friday, with both sides claiming to control the town of Anefis as night fell. The violence is the latest in a string of increasing attacks by the rebels, known as the Permanent Strategic Framework for Peace, Security and Development (CSP-PSD). Political Cartoons View All 1202 ImagesThe 2015 peace deal called for the ex-rebels to be integrated into the national military among other things. Former colonizer France, which led a 2013 military intervention to oust jihadis from power, has since moved its forces outside Mali. Since the peacekeepers completed the first phase of their withdrawal in August, attacks in northern Mali have more than doubled.

Persons: Wagner, “, Staff Gal, Oumar Diarra, Assifmi Goita, jihadis Organizations: Malian, Peace, Security, Development, Analysts, Staff, Islamic, colonizer Locations: BAMAKO, Mali, Kidal, Anefis, Malian, Azawad, West, colonizer France

☆ Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger students in French visa limbo as relations sour
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-05 | by ( Layli Foroudi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

But as relations with some of the West African states turned bitter - prompting France to close its consular services in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger due to security concerns - long-standing cultural ties have also been strained. International law student Tondri Yara stood in front of a French visa centre in the capital Ouagadougou, hoping for some good news. Burkina Faso, Canada, Switzerland and Belgium are all viable alternatives, he said, although switching will likely delay the process. French authorities have assured that students, artists and researchers already in France remain welcome and would be allowed to pursue their activities. There were over 3,100 students from Mali, 2,300 from Burkina and 1,100 from Niger studying in French public institutions in 2021-22, according to data from French agency Campus France that promotes French higher institutions abroad.

Persons: Alphonse Nikiema, Emmanuel Macron, Nikiema, Tondri Yara, Yara, Alphonse, Alfred, Sofia Christensen, Bate Felix, Angus MacSwan Organizations: West, Burkina Faso, Campus, Reuters Newsroom, Thomson Locations: Burkina Faso, France, Mali, Niger, Africa, Russia, China, Burkina, West Africa Sahel, Ouagadougou, Canada, Switzerland, Belgium, Campus France, Paris

LIMA, Peru (AP) — The first two leopard cubs born in captivity in Peru began climbing trees inside their cages at a Lima zoo Wednesday in their first appearance before the public. The cubs’ parents, Leo and Mali, are 3 years old and were brought to Peru in 2021 from a municipal zoo in Leon, Mexico. The zoo plans to hold a contest for the public to decide what to call them. Panthera pardus leopards — the newborns' species — are classified as a vulnerable species on the red list of the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The four are the only leopards known to be living in Peru.

Persons: Leo, ”, Giovanna Yépez, — Organizations: Parque, International Union for Conservation of Nature Locations: LIMA, Peru, Lima, Mali, Leon , Mexico, las Leyendas

☆ Secret spots on Croatia’s famous Dalmatian coast
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-03 | by ( Mary Novakovich | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

CNN —To many, the southern Dalmatian coast is Croatia. The Adriatic coast is undeniably beautiful, with the forbidding Dinaric Alps as a dramatic backdrop to the heavily indented coastline and dozens of islands scattered about. Until 2022, reaching it from the north meant crossing into Bosnia, whose 12.4 miles of coastline sits below the Neretva delta, before giving way once more to Croatia’s southern Dalmatian coast. Elaphiti islandsWander along Dubrovnik’s old port and in seconds you’ll be offered a day trip to the Elaphiti islands, north of the city. Cavtat, about 15 miles south of Dubrovnik, has been steadily growing in popularity as an alternative to the city.

Persons: you’ve, Ivan Meštrović, Poelzer Wolfgang, Alamy, it’s, Pušćica, Klesarska, Goran Bogicevic, It’s, Mamma Mia, ”, laze, Baška Voda, Croatia’s, Korčula, Mali Ston Organizations: CNN, UNESCO, Stari Grad, Hvar Town, Zipline Locations: Croatia, Split, Dubrovnik, Hvar, Poelzer, Split’s, Brač, Senjska, Maslinica, Bol, Dalmatia, Washington ,, Stari Grad, Vrboska, Zaklopatica, Vis, Komiža, Tučepi, Biokovo, Hardy, Sveti Jure, Zipline Croatia, Bosnia, Rogotin, Croatian, mali, Dalmatian, Orebić, Mljet, Prapratno, Mali, Ston, Cavtat, robertharding, Slano

☆ 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

☆ In Burkina Faso, a Million Children Out of School Due to Insecurity– UNICEF
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( Oct. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

DAKAR (Reuters) - More than one million children and 31,000 teachers have been unable to return to their classrooms in Burkina Faso due to violence and insecurity as the West African nation starts another academic year on Monday, UNICEF said. About 6,100 schools, or at least one out of four, was shut on the first day of the school year, UNICEF said. "Having so many children still unable to return to school due to violence and insecurity, and so many schools closed, is very upsetting," John Agbor, UNICEF Representative in Burkina Faso, said in the statement. Burkina Faso has been struggling to contain Islamist insurgents linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State who have killed thousands and displaced over two million people in the country, more than half of them children. More than 3.8 million children in total are still due to return to school in Burkina Faso, including in areas affected by conflict, UNICEF said, adding it was working with authorities and other partners to help facilitate access to education, including programmes such as lessons by radio.

Persons: John Agbor, Bate Felix, Bernadette Baum Organizations: UNICEF, Islamic, Reuters Locations: DAKAR, Burkina Faso, West African, U.S, al Qaeda, Islamic State, Mali, Niger

[1/5] A woman mourns next to a makeshift memorial for Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the Wagner mercenary group, as people mark 40 days since his death to respect an Orthodox tradition, in Saint Petersburg, Russia, October 1, 2023. It is still unclear what caused the plane to crash two months to the day since Prigozhin's failed mutiny. The Kremlin said on Aug. 30 that investigators were considering the possibility that the plane was downed on purpose. At memorials in Moscow and other Russian cities dozens of Wagner fighters and ordinary Russians paid their respects, though there was no mass outpouring of grief. Putin was on Friday shown meeting one of the most senior former commanders of the Wagner mercenary group and discussing how best to use "volunteer units" in the Ukraine war.

Persons: Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, Anton Vaganov, Prigozhin, Prigozhin's, Violetta, Pavel, Vladimir Putin's, Putin, Mikhail, Marta, Dmitry Utkin, Hope, Anton Yelizarov, Guy Faulconbridge, Alison Williams Organizations: REUTERS, State, Embraer, KGB, Reuters, United States, Thomson Locations: Saint Petersburg, Russia, MOSCOW, St Petersburg, Moscow, Ukraine, Rostov, Mali

☆ The message behind Putin’s Wagner meeting
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-30 | by ( Nathan Hodge | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

In a televised meeting Friday, Putin met with Russia’s Deputy Defense Minister Yunus-Bek Yevkurov and former Wagner commander Andrey Troshev, according to a partial transcript published by the Kremlin. But unpack the language, and Putin’s Friday meeting appeared to put a reassuring gloss on the Russian government’s attempt to bring the mercenary group to heel. “I would like to talk to you about issues of a social nature,” Putin told Troshev, without naming Wagner. Wagner has supported the Libyan National Army for several years, reportedly backing Haftar’s 2019-2020 military campaign against the Tripoli-based government. If Friday’s meeting is any guide, Yevkurov appears to be a point man for future Wagner activity while Troshev takes on a different brief: overseeing Wagner 2.0 for the war in Ukraine.

Persons: Vladimir Putin’s, –, Wagner, group’s, Putin, Yunus, Bek Yevkurov, Andrey Troshev, Troshev –, ‘, Yevgeny Prigozhin’s, Prigozhin, “, ” Putin, Troshev, ”, Fatherland ’, ” –, Dmitry Peskov –, Yevkurov, Khalifa Haftar Organizations: CNN, Kremlin, Fatherland, Prigozhin’s, “, RIA Novosti, Wagner, Central African, Libyan National Army, Rapid Support Forces Locations: Moscow, Russian, Russia’s Tver, Ukraine, Belarus, Africa, Mali, Central African Republic, Libya, Libyan, Benghazi, Tripoli

☆ Unleashing a New Weapon on the Mosquito: A Mosquito
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-29 | by ( Stephanie Nolen | Eleanor Lutz | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +17 min

Anggy Aldana working at the World Mosquito Program lab in Medellín, Colombia. Researchers found, after painstaking trial and error, that they could insert the bacteria into mosquito eggs using minute needles. How mosquito eggs are injected with Wolbachia A looping video showing a thin needle injecting fluid into a row of black mosquito eggs. How Wolbachia spreads among wild mosquitoes A series of three illustrations showing the outcomes of breeding between wild mosquitoes and mosquitoes infected with Wolbachia. Mosquito eggs and a tray of chilled mosquitoes at the World Mosquito Program lab.

Persons: Eleanor Lutz, Wolbachia, Scott O’Neill, —, O’Neill’s, Steven Sinkins, Marlon Victoria, ”, Victoria, “, O’Neill, It’s, Laura Harrington, They’re, won’t, ” Mr Organizations: Mosquito Program, Mosquito, Brazil —, FRANCE Croatia United, ARGENTINA CHILE Americas, CHILE Americas, University of Glasgow, —, Medellín Health, Colombian, Cornell University Locations: Medellín, Colombia, Cali, Honduras, Australia, Australian, Vietnam, Indonesia, France, Florida and Texas, Brazil, Americas, African, Asia, Europe, FRANCE Croatia United States PORTUGAL JAPAN CHINA Texas PAKISTAN Florida EGYPT INDIA MALI MEXICO PHILIPPINES SUDAN ETHIOPIA Colombia SOMALIA INDONESIA BRAZIL ANGOLA PERU NAMIBIA AUSTRALIA, AFRICA Africa, Oceania, ARGENTINA CHILE, FRANCE Croatia United States PORTUGAL JAPAN CHINA Texas Florida EGYPT, MEXICO MALI PHILIPPINES SUDAN Colombia SOMALIA INDONESIA BRAZIL ANGOLA PERU NAMIBIA AUSTRALIA ARGENTINA Africa, CHILE, Africa, United States, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Wolbachia, Siloé, West Africa, Medellin

☆ Putin Meets With New Wagner Boss Andrei Troshev
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-29 | by ( Charles R. Davis | Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Russian President Vladimir Putin met Friday with the new commander of Wagner, Andrei Troshev. At the meeting, Putin referred to Troshev leading "various combat missions," including in Ukraine. Troshev was the second in command of Wagner before the death of former boss Yevgeny Prigozhin. Andre Troshev, a former colonel in the Russian military, took over as head of the Wagner paramilitary organization following the death of previous boss Yevgeny Prigozhin in August. He had been the group's second in command but did not appear to back Prigozhin's short-lived mutiny against Russian military leadership two months earlier.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Wagner, Andrei Troshev, Putin, Troshev, Yevgeny Prigozhin, —, Syria —, Andre Troshev, Yunus, Bek, Dmitry Peskov, Bashar al, Assad, Defense Lloyd Austin Organizations: Service, Russian, Kremlin, Financial Times, Moscow Times, Islamic, Wagner Group, Central African, Defense Locations: Ukraine, Syria, Troshev, St . Petersburg, Islamic State, Russia, Moscow, Washington, Bakhmut, Belarus, Ukrainian, Russian, Africa, Mali, Central African Republic

☆ Explainer: Wagner group - Is it back? Who controls it?
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Is Wagner back, who controls it and are its fighters returning to the Ukraine war? After the fall of Bakhmut, Wagner fighters were withdrawn from the front. While Prigozhin criticised Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, Yelizarov said Shoigu was "out of control" and seeking to destroy Wagner. Russian, Ukrainian and Western sources have indicated that Wagner fighters are returning to the front. Russian war blog Rybar, which has over 1.2 million subscribers, said that Wagner fighters would return to Bakhmut.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Wagner, Andrei Troshev, Yunus, Bek Yevkurov, Mikhail Metzel, WAGNER, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Dmitry Utkin, Bakhmut, Prigozhin, Putin, Anton Yelizarov, Yelizarov, Utkin, Sergei Shoigu, Shoigu, Wagner's Troshev, Troshev, Rybar, Guy Faulconbridge Organizations: Sputnik, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, deniability, United States, . Police, Reuters, Russian, Russian Ministry of Defence, PMC, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Russia, Ukraine, dabble, Syria, Libya, Mali, Bakhmut, Rostov, Russian, St Petersburg, Central African Republic, redeploy

Unable to afford a flight to Egpyt from Guinea, he drew a map of Africa in his spiral notebook and set off on a second-hand mountain bike. Four months and seven countries later, he is in Cairo with a full scholarship to Al-Azhar University, one of the world's oldest and most renowned Sunni Muslim learning institutions. Thousands of West Africans like Barry undertake risky journeys across the Sahara desert each year, searching for a better life. Barry arrived in Cairo on Sept. 5 and days later secured a full scholarship to Al-Azhar. He intends to return to Guinea when his studies are complete, to spread the faith that has taken him so far.

Persons: Mamadou Safaiou Barry, Barry, Barry pedalled, Azhar, Cooper Inveen, Alison Williams Organizations: Al, Azhar University, International Organization for Migration, CFA, Thomson Locations: Guinea, El Marg, Cairo, Egypt, CAIRO, N'DJAMENA, Egpyt, Africa, West, Chad, Mali, Burkina Faso, Togo, Benin, Niger, N'Djamena, Chadian, Sudan

☆ Burkina Faso: Four officers arrested after thwarted coup attempt, prosecutor says
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-28 | by ( Martin Goillandeau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —Four army officers were arrested in Burkina Faso, a military prosecutor said, a day after the country’s ruling military junta announced it had thwarted a coup attempt. Two other officers were “on the run,” according to a statement from the public prosecutor’s office at the military court in Ouagadougou, the capital city. Burkina Faso’s military junta said in an earlier statement that intelligence and security services had foiled a “proven coup attempt” on Wednesday. “A number of officers and other alleged actors involved in this destabilization attempt have been arrested, while others are being actively sought,” the statement said. Earlier this month, Burkina Faso’s military leaders signed a mutual defense pact with the juntas in Mali and Niger.

Persons: Captain Ibrahim Traore, “, ”, Traore Organizations: CNN, Junta Locations: Burkina Faso, Ouagadougou, Burkina, West African, Mali, Niger, Sahel

But in an about turn, Macron announced on Sunday that the ambassador would return to Paris and French troops would leave. Two security sources in Niger said Itte had flown out of the country. Demonstrators hold placards and Niger's flags as they gather outside Niger's embassy in support of the President of Niger Mohamed Bazoum in Paris, France, August 5, 2023. Crowds of junta supporters have spent days camping outside a French military base to demand the troops' departure. Some analysts have expressed concern that the withdrawal of French troops from Niger could further hamper Western efforts to stem the violence, which has risen since the coups, and bolster Russian influence in the region.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron, Sylvain Itte, Mohamed Bazoum, Macron, Itte, Catherine Colonna, Yucouba Abdou, Abdou, Niger Mohamed Bazoum, Stephanie Lecocq, Paris, Abdel, Kader Mazou, Moussa Aksar, Michel Rose, John Irish, Sofia Christensen, Anait, Toby Chopra, Estelle Shirbon, Philippa Fletcher, Daniel Wallis Organizations: Niger, Quai, French, Nigerien, Reuters, REUTERS, France, Thomson Locations: Niger French, NIAMEY, Niger, Paris, France, Niamey, French, N'Djamena, Niger's, West Africa, Mali, Burkina Faso, Chad, Sahel

☆ Mali Junta Expects Delay to February Elections
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( Sept. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: 1 min

Health News Bulletin Stay informed on the latest news on health and COVID-19 from the editors at U.S. News & World Report. Sign Up Sign in to manage your newsletters »Sign up to receive the latest updates from U.S News & World Report and our trusted partners and sponsors. By clicking submit, you are agreeing to our Terms and Conditions & Privacy Policy.

Organizations: U.S . News, U.S News

"The public in West African countries has become increasingly wary of hosting a Western military presence," said Mucahid Durmaz, a senior analyst at London-based risk firm Verisk Maplecroft. "The French exit from Niger will push Western troops further away from the central Sahel." The U.S. has refused to call the Niger takeover a coup, meaning it can avoid severing ties for now. Unlike France, American forces do not actively engage with Niger forces against Islamist militants and could be open to working within a transition to civilian rule. Tens of thousands of people gathered outside the French military base in the capital calling for the troops' departure.

Persons: Mahamadou, Mucahid Durmaz, Verisk, Emmanuel Macron, Russia's, Washington's, Defence Lloyd Austin, Washington, Nathaniel Powell, Joe Biden, Macron, Aissami Tchiroma, It's, Oxford Analytica, Paris, Jalel Harchaoui, John Irish, Edward McAllister, Abdel, Kader Mazou, Andrew Gray, George Obulutsa, Andrew Heavens Organizations: French Army, REUTERS, London, Russia's Wagner, Defence, Oxford, Protesters, France, Military, Royal United Services Institute, Thomson Locations: France, Nigerien, Niamey, Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger PARIS, DAKAR, West Africa, West, Russia, United States, Libya, The U.S, Nairobi, American, West African, Afghanistan, AFRICA, French, Africa, It's, CHAD, GUINEA France, Chad, Paris, Sahel, Europe, Ukraine, Italy, Germany, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Senegal, Gabon, London, Brussels

PARIS (AP) — President Emmanuel Macron announced Sunday that France will end its military presence in Niger and pull its ambassador out of the country after its democratically elected president was deposed in a coup. He noted that France’s military presence in Niger was in response to a request from Niger’s government at the time. The military cooperation between France and Niger had been suspended since the coup. The junta leaders claimed that Bazoum's government wasn’t doing enough to protect the country from the insurgency. After the deadline expired without France recalling him, the coup leaders then revoked his diplomatic immunity.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron, Macron, Mohamed Bazoum, ”, Sylvain Itte, U.N, Antonio Guterres Organizations: PARIS, “, African Locations: France, Niger, Africa, Mali, Burkina Faso, French, “ France, New York

☆ France to pull troops out of Niger following coup, says Macron
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

French President Emmanuel Macron waits to welcome Pope Francis, ahead of a meeting at Palais du Pharo, on the occasion of the Mediterranean Meetings (MED 2023), in Marseille, France, September 23, 2023. REUTERS/Yara Nardi/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsPARIS, Sept 24 (Reuters) - France is to end its military cooperation with Niger and withdraw its 1,500 troops tasked with battling Islamist rebels in the Sahel region following a July coup in the West African country, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Sunday. Macron said the troops would pull out by the end of the year, a move that deals a hammer blow to France's counter-terrorism operations in the Sahel and France's influence in the region. Nonetheless, Macron said France, the former colonial power in Niger, would "not be held hostage by the putchists" who he has refused to recognise as the legitimate authority in the country. "We will consult with the putschists because we want things to happen calmly," Macron said in an interview with France's TF1 and France 2 television stations.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron, Pope Francis, Yara, Macron, Mohammed Bazoum, Sybille de la Hamaide, Michel Rose, Richard Lough, Sharon Singleton Organizations: Palais du, REUTERS, Rights, France's TF1, Thomson Locations: Marseille, France, Niger, Sahel, West, West Africa, Mali, Burkina Faso, United States, Central, Niamey

☆ France to Pull Troops Out of Niger Following Coup, Says Macron
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-24 | by ( Sept. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

PARIS (Reuters) -France is to end its military cooperation with Niger and withdraw its 1,500 troops tasked with battling Islamist rebels in the Sahel region following a July coup in the West African country, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Sunday. Macron said the troops would pull out by the end of the year, a move that deals a hammer blow to France's counter-terrorism operations in the Sahel and France's influence in the region. Nonetheless, Macron said France, the former colonial power in Niger, would "not be held hostage by the putchists" who he has refused to recognise as the legitimate authority in the country. "We will consult with the putschists because we want things to happen calmly," Macron said in an interview with France's TF1 and France 2 television stations. France's ambassador was also being pulled out and would arrive back in the country in the next few hours, Macron added.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron, Macron, Mohammed Bazoum, Sybille de la Hamaide, Michel Rose, Richard Lough, Sharon Singleton Organizations: PARIS, France's TF1 Locations: France, Niger, Sahel, West, West Africa, Mali, Burkina Faso, United States, Central, Niamey

☆ Wagner forces have not withdrawn from Africa in ‘meaningful’ numbers, defense official says
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-24 | by ( Natasha Bertrand | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Djibouti CNN —The US has not seen a withdrawal of Wagner forces from Africa “in any substantial or meaningful numbers,” a senior US defense official said, as the Kremlin continues to weigh what to do with the Russian mercenary group following its leader’s death last month. The number of Wagner forces throughout Africa, concentrated mostly in Central African Republic, Mali, and Libya, remains “pretty stable,” the official told a small group of reporters traveling with the Secretary of Defense to Africa. There are also signs Wagner forces have been “trying to exploit” the July coup attempt in Niger to make inroads there, the official said, without elaborating. “There have been signs of official Russian military delegations going out to many countries, testing the waters about whether the official Russian military would have an opportunity to operate,” the official said. Most security experts doubt Wagner can survive without Prigozhin, posing major questions about what will happen to the group’s fighters, weapons and operations.

Persons: Wagner, ”, “ Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner –, there’s, Prigozhin Organizations: Djibouti CNN, Africa “, Kremlin, Central, Defense, Russian Locations: Djibouti, Africa, Russian, Central African Republic, Mali, Libya, Niger, Moscow, Russia

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