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Niamey, Niger CNN —Niger’s armed forces have been bringing in reinforcements to the capital to prepare for a potential invasion, a military source told CNN, just hours after the military junta running the country refused to abide by an influential regional bloc’s deadline to cede power. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) responded days later by enacting sanctions and issuing an ultimatum to the ruling military junta: stand down within a week or face a potential military intervention. A junta leader said Sunday that Niger’s armed forces would be closing the country’s airspace due to the threat of military intervention. Wagner forces have been contracted to help local defense forces against rebellions and insurgencies, and suppress opposition. Both countries are sending delegations to Niger’s capital Niamey, “in solidarity with the people of Niger,” according to the Malian Armed Forces.

Persons: Niger CNN —, Mohamed Bazoum, Bazoum, insurgencies, Wagner, “, ”, Yevgeny Prigozhin Organizations: Niger CNN, CNN, West African States, National Council for, French Foreign Ministry, Nigerien, Malian Armed Forces, Burkina Faso’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Locations: Niamey, Niger, France, United States, Russia, West Africa, Mali, Burkina Faso, “, ”, Burkina

☆ Niger waits for West African bloc's response after junta rejects ultimatum
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Members of a military council that staged a coup in Niger attend a rally at a stadium in Niamey, Niger, August 6, 2023. On Sunday as the deadline expired, the junta closed its airspace until further notice, citing the increased threat of military intervention. I hope that the ultimatum of ECOWAS, which expired last night at midnight, will be extended today," Tajani told La Stampa newspaper. The United States are very cautious about this, it is unthinkable that they would start a military intervention in Niger," Tajani added. Writing by Alessandra Prentice and Alexander Winning; Editing by Lincoln Feast and Toby ChopraOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Mohamed Bazoum, Antonio Tajani, Tajani, Antony Blinken, Alessandra Prentice, Alexander Winning, Lincoln, Toby Chopra Organizations: REUTERS, NIAMEY, West African, West African States, La Stampa, Thomson Locations: Niger, Niamey, Europe, China, Russia, juntas, Mali, Burkina Faso, Italy, United States, U.S

☆ Calm pervades Niger's capital as deadline to reverse coup expires
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-06 | by ( Boureima Balima | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

An aerial view of the streets in the capital Niamey, Niger July 28, 2023. REUTERS/Souleymane Ag Anara/File PhotoNIAMEY, Aug 6 (Reuters) - Niger's capital was calm on Sunday, with citizens appearing to pay little heed to the threat of military intervention by West Africa's regional bloc, as its ultimatum for the country's coup leaders to reinstate the president expires. "I am not worried because I know that any military intervention by ECOWAS in Niger would be a loss for this organisation. ECOWAS did not respond to a request for comment on what its next steps would be, or when exactly on Sunday its deadline expires. Support for Niger's coup leaders from fellow juntas in neighbouring Mali and Burkina Faso could undermine the regional response.

Persons: Mohamed Bazoum, Hadjo Hadjia, Ouhoumoudou Mahamadou, Alessandra Prentice, John Stonestreet Organizations: REUTERS, Defence, Economic, West African, Sunday, Bazoum's, Thomson Locations: Niamey, Niger, NIAMEY, West, Central Africa, Russia, China, Mali, Burkina Faso, France

☆ 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

☆ Niger: As critical deadline for military coup expires, the country's airspace closes due to 'threat of intervention'
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-06 | by ( Josh Pennington | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Niger’s airspace closed on Sunday, the day imposed as a deadline by a group of African countries for Nigerien military coup leaders to release power and reinstate the country’s democratically-elected president. As that deadline expired, Niger’s airspace closed due to “the threat of intervention from neighboring countries,” according to a video statement by Nigerien coup leader Colonel Major Amadou Abdramane. The military coup in Niger was launched late July. But outside Niger, the coup leaders’ actions were quickly condemned by the United States and some Western nations, as well as group of western African countries, which threatened force. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), a regional bloc, warned that if the military junta does not stand down, it could face possible military intervention and gave coup leaders until Sunday to cede power.

Persons: Major Amadou Abdramane, Mohamed Bazoum, “, ”, Abdel, Fatau Musah Organizations: CNN, Nigerien, West African States, ECOWAS, European Union, Political Affairs, Peace, Security Locations: Niger, United States, France, Niamey, Niger’s, Nigeria

This account of how Niger's coup unfolded is based on 15 interviews with Nigerien security officials, politicians, as well as current and former Western government officials. In his first address following the July 26 coup, Tiani said he had ousted the president for the good of the country. But in recent months, Bazoum had curtailed the size of the presidential guard, which was about 700-strong at the time of the coup, and started to scrutinize its budget. Issoufou was elected in 2011, a year after a previous military coup. Almost all the different branches of Niger's security apparatus had a member in the group, including the police, army, air force and presidential guard.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron, Mahamadou Issoufou, Regis, Mohamed Bazoum, Bazoum, Abdourahamane Tiani, Tiani, Keen, Issoufou, Spokespeople, swirled, Salifou Mody, Mody, Hassoumi Massaoudou, Amadou Abdramane, Ahmad Sidien, Moussa Aksar, David Lewis, David Gauthier, Michel Rose, Edward McAllister, Alexandra Zavis, David Clarke Organizations: Niger, REUTERS, Nigerien, Reuters, West African States, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Western, Niger Armed Forces, United Arab Emirates, National Guard, Thomson Locations: Sahel, French, Pau, France, NIAMEY, United States, Niamey, Diffa, Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, Russia, West Africa, Tiani, Nairobi, Villars, Istanbul, Paris, Dakar

☆ Niger’s coup leader faces a deadline to cede power. Will military action come next?
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-06 | by ( Stephanie Busari | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —The leaders of a coup in Niger are digging in their heels as they face a looming deadline from neighbors to give up power or face possible military action. President Bazoum’s election win in 2021 marked a relatively peaceful transfer of power, capping years of military coups following Niger’s independence from France in 1960. ECOWAS has shown a willingness to take action in cases where leaders refuse to relinquish power or when political crises escalate. The US and France consider Niger a critical ally and both countries have military bases in Niger. That kind of sentiment suggests that even if the stated goal is to restore democracy, a military intervention may not be welcomed across the country.

Persons: Mohamed Bazoum, “, Bazoum’s, Bazoum, Abdourahamane Tiani, Bola Tinubu, Tinubu, Security Abdel, Fatau Musah, Oluseyi, ” Adetayo, Jammeh, Nigeriens, Russia, Wagner, ” Ali Sounama Organizations: CNN, Regional, Economic, West African States, Nigerien, The Washington Post, ECOWAS, Local, Political Affairs, Peace, Security Locations: Niger, Sahel, Mali, Burkina Faso, France, Nigeria, Senegal, Bazoum, Gambia, Sierra Leone, Liberia, West Africa, Niamey, Nigerien

☆ Niger's ousted prime minister hopes talks can end military coup
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/5] Niger's Prime Minister Ouhoumoudou Mahamadou speaks about the situation in Niger during an exclusive interview with Reuters, in Paris, France, August 5, 2023. Niger's military takeover, the seventh in West and Central Africa in three years, has rocked the western Sahel region, one of the poorest in the world, which has strategic significance to global powers. Still, as the deadline loomed, Bazoum's Prime Minister Ouhoumoudou Mahamadou believed a last-minute intervention was possible, he said in an interview in Paris. France said on Saturday it will support efforts to overturn the coup, without specifying whether its backing would entail military assistance for an ECOWAS intervention. Niger's neighbours Mali and Burkina Faso, where military juntas have also seized power in recent years, said they would support Niger in the event of military intervention.

Persons: Ouhoumoudou Mahamadou, Stephanie Lecocq, Niger's, Mohamed Bazoum, Mahamadou, Bazoum, General Abdourahamane Tiani, Abdel, Fatau Musah, Mahamadou shrugged, Julitte Jabkhiro, Michel Rose, Clotaire Achi, Louise Dalmasso, Edward McAllister, Jan Harvey Organizations: Niger's, Reuters, REUTERS, Economic, West African States, ECOWAS, Sunday, Bazoum's, Thomson Locations: Niger, Paris, France, Stephanie Lecocq NIAMEY, West, Central Africa, Niamey, Rome, China, Europe, Russia, Nigeria's, Abuja, Mali, Burkina Faso

CNN —France said it backs efforts by members of an African regional bloc to thwart the coup in Niger, as the clock ticks closer to a deadline for the new military junta to stand down or face possible military intervention. “The future of Niger and the stability of the entire region are at stake,” the French Foreign Ministry said in a statement. ECOWAS defense chiefs met in Nigeria this week to organize a collective response to the coup and plan a potential military response, which they say is a last resort. “We are determined to stop it, but ECOWAS is not going to tell the coup plotters when and where we are going to strike. “While this coup attempt is a tragedy for Nigeriens, its success would have devastating consequences far beyond our borders.”

Persons: CNN —, Mohamed Bazoum, ”, Security Abdel, Fatau, “, ” Bazoum Organizations: CNN, French Foreign Ministry, Economic, West African States, Political Affairs, Peace, Security, Washington Locations: CNN — France, Niger, Nigeria, ”, Niamey, Niger’s, ” France, France, United States

REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz/File PhotoWASHINGTON, Aug 4 (Reuters) - The U.S. is pausing certain foreign assistance programs that benefit the government of Niger but will continue giving humanitarian and food assistance, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Friday. "As we have made clear since the outset of this situation, the provision of U.S. assistance to the government of Niger depends on democratic governance and respect for constitutional order," Blinken said in a statement on Friday. West African defence chiefs have drawn up a plan for military action if Niger's coup is not overturned by Sunday. The U.S. Embassy in Niamey in 2021 said the Pentagon and State Department had provided Niger more than $500 million in equipment and training since 2012. Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; editing by Jasper Ward and Rosalba O'BrienOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Eduardo Munoz, Niger's, Mohamed Bazoum, Blinken, Bazoum's, Washington's, Joe Biden, Kanishka Singh, Jasper Ward, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: . Security, REUTERS, ., Embassy, Pentagon, State Department, Thomson Locations: New York, U.S, Niger, West, Central Africa, Niamey, Washington

☆ West African bloc seeks solution to Niger coup as deadline nears
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Thousands of anti-sanctions protestors gather in support of the putschist soldiers in the capital Niamey, Niger August 3, 2023. REUTERS/Mahamadou HamidouNIAMEY, Aug 4 (Reuters) - West African defence chiefs were set to wrap up discussions about possible intervention in Niger on Friday, as mediators from the regional bloc push coup leaders in Niamey to restore constitutional order before an approaching deadline. The military junta in Niger is locked in a standoff with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), which has taken its hardest stance yet on last week's ouster of President Mohamed Bazoum - the seventh coup in West and Central Africa since 2020. Niger's self-declared leader Abdourahamane Tiani has rejected the sanctions and said the junta will not back down against any threats. Later on Friday, the region's defence chiefs will officially end a multi-day meeting in the Nigerian capital Abuja about a possible military response that they have said would be a last resort.

Persons: Mohamed Bazoum, Abdourahamane Tiani, Tiani, Alessandra Prentice, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: REUTERS, Economic, West African States, ECOWAS, Islamic, Thomson Locations: Niamey, Niger, Mahamadou, NIAMEY, West, Central Africa, France, juntas, Mali, Burkina Faso, al Qaeda, Islamic State, Nigerien, Nigerian, Abuja

“I write this as a hostage,” Bazoum wrote in the Washington Post. Bazoum also cautioned that foreign aid makes up 40% of the national budget – and it would not be delivered if the coup succeeds. ‘Determined, optimistic’CNN has not been able to independently confirm the conditions under which Bazoum is being detained in his residence. Bazoum also warned of growing Russian influence in the Sahel region. “With an open invitation from the coup plotters and their regional allies, the entire central Sahel region could fall to Russian influence via the Wagner Group,” Bazoum wrote.

Persons: CNN —, Mohamed Bazoum, ” Bazoum, ”, –, Bazoum, “, ‘, Idrissa Waziri, he’s, ” Waziri, Waziri, Abdourahamane Tiani, Tiani, he’d, Wagner, Russia’s Wagner, Salifou Mody, Joe Biden, Patrick Ryder, evacuates Organizations: CNN, Washington Post, Burkina, junta, Nigerien, Wagner, Pentagon, US Defense Department Locations: Washington, Niamey, United States, West, “ Niger, Niger, Europe, France, Mali, Burkina Faso, Sahel

☆ Explainer: What are West Africa's options to reverse Niger's coup?
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-04 | by ( Edward Mcallister | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/4] A member of the ECOWAS regional force is seen at Denton check point in Banjul, Gambia January 22, 2017. GROUND INVASIONECOWAS has sent troops into trouble spots before, but never in Niger and rarely with the region so divided. Coup leaders in Guinea, Burkina Faso and Mali have expressed support for Niger's junta, and other countries have their own security challenges. It is not clear how big an ECOWAS force would be or what form it would take. Security analysts and diplomats have also noted apparent divisions among Niger's armed forces, who may not all be united behind the coup.

Persons: Afolabi, Mohamed Bazoum, General Abdourahamane Tiani, Djiby Sow, Bazoum, Ikemesit Effiong, Effiong, Peter Pham, Edward McAllister, David Lewis, Emelia Sithole, Alexandra Zavis, Kevin Liffey Organizations: ECOWAS, REUTERS, Economic, West African States, Security, Institute for Security Studies, SPECIAL, SBM Intelligence, Nigerien, Atlantic Council, Thomson Locations: Denton, Banjul, Gambia, DAKAR, Niger, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Mali, Ivory Coast, Dakar, Nigeria, Niamey, U.S

☆ Blinken: US pauses certain assistance programs to Niger's government
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-04 | by ( Jennifer Hansler | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —The United States “is pausing certain foreign assistance programs benefiting the government of Niger” amid the military takeover in the West African country, Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced Friday. Blinken described it as an “interim measure” and said it does not impact all foreign assistance programs. “Most importantly, the provision of life-saving humanitarian and food assistance will continue,” Blinken said in a statement. Indeed, Blinken and others have reiterated that US assistance is at risk unless the coup leaders restore democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum to power. The Economic Community of West African States has warned that they will use military force unless the coup leaders back down by Sunday.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Blinken, ” Blinken, ”, “, Issifou Djibo, Shutterstock, Mohamed Bazoum, we’re Organizations: CNN, United, African Union, National Assembly, West, State Department, US State Department Locations: United States, Niger, West, U.S, Niamey, Sahel, States

☆ Niger coup leaders blamed insecurity; conflict data paints a different picture
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( Edward Mcallister | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

In Burkina Faso, where there were two coups last year, deaths rose 80% to more than 4,000 in 2022. Military spokespeople in Mali and Burkina Faso did not respond to requests for comment. Military leaders in Mali and Burkina Faso kicked out French forces after their coups. Niger army operations could falter, he said. "You saw it in Burkina Faso after the second coup.

Persons: Abdourahmane Tiani, Balima, Mohamed Bazoum, Ibrahim Yahaya Ibrahim, Wagner, Leonardo Santos Simao, Tiani, Simao, Bazoum, Ulf Laessing, Konrad Adenauer, Edward McAllister, Michelle Nichols, Alexandra Zavis, Giles Elgood Organizations: REUTERS, Security, Islamic, Crisis, Wagner Group, Reuters, spokespeople, United Nations, Economic, West, Sunday, Local, Military, Burkina Faso, European Union, Konrad Adenauer Foundation, Thomson Locations: Niger, Niamey, DAKAR, U.S, Mali, Burkina Faso, al Qaeda, Islamic State, West Africa's, Brussels, Boko, Nigeria, West Africa, West African States, Burkina, French, France, New York

☆ Niger: Africa's latest coup is a headache for the West and an opportunity for Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( Stephanie Busari | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

An important Western allyThe coup in Niger has deprived Western nations, particularly France and the United States, of a key ally in a troubled region. The largest country in West Africa, Niger had been touted as a democratic success story on the continent and Bazoum was seen as a crucial partner in the fight against Islamist jihadists in the region. Carley Petesch/AP/FileThe French military also maintains two permanent bases in the Sahel region, one of which is in Niamey. “The former colonizers are trying to keep the people of African countries in check. Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and President of the Republic of South Africa Cyril Matamela Ramaphosa shake hands on the sideline of the Russia Africa Summit.

Persons: Mohamed Bazoum, Putin, France ”, Emmanuel Macron, “, Bazoum, Joe Biden, Washington “, Stringer, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, jihadists, Carley Petesch, ” Maman Sani, Oluwole Ojewale, …, ” Ojewale, ” Françafrique, Remi Adekoya, ” Adekoya, ” Wagner, Prigozhin, ” Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin, Republic of South Africa Cyril Matamela Ramaphosa, Mikhail Metzel, Ibrahim Traore, ”, ” Traore, Ojewale Organizations: CNN, West, Kremlin, ISIS, Africa Center, Strategic Studies, European Union, World Nuclear Association ., Institute for Security Studies, Central African, CFA, Banque de France, UK’s York University, Russia Africa Summit, ISS Locations: Niger, Niamey, France, Paris, United States, Western, Africa, Russia, Moscow, Russian, Mali, West Africa, Nigerien, al Qaeda, US, Agadez, Sahel, Burkina Faso, West, Central Africa, China, Ukraine, Sudan, Central African Republic, Mozambique, Libya, St . Petersburg, Somalia, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Republic of South Africa

It has taken its hardest line yet with Niger, saying it had to show that it "cannot only bark but can bite". One of the demonstrators in Niamey held a placard that said: "Long live Niger, Russia, Mali and Burkina. France has between 1,000 and 1,500 troops in Niger, helping to fight an Islamist insurgency that has spread across the region. INTERVENTION PLANWest African defence chiefs meeting in Nigeria were due to conclude their discussions about possible intervention in Niger, although they have said this would be a last resort. The goal of the two-day meeting was to draw up a plan for an eventual military intervention to restore constitutional order, according to a statement from Ivory Coast's National Security Council.

Persons: General Abdourahamane Tiani, Mohamed Bazoum, Tiani, Ivory, Salifou Mody, Joe Biden, Nigeriens, Camillus Eboh, Thiam Ndiaga, Tiemoko Diallo, Ange Aboa, Alessandra Prentice, Nellie Peyton, Alexander Winning, Emelia, Nick Macfie, Giles Elgood Organizations: REUTERS, West, Economic, West African States, EU, Reuters, Ivory Coast's National Security Council, ECOWAS, juntas, Nigerien, Islamic, Thomson Locations: Niamey, Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, NIAMEY, ABUJA, West, Central Africa, Russia, Burkina, Down, France, Nigeria, Nigerian, West Africa, Guinea, Bissau, al Qaeda, Islamic State, Paris

An aerial view of traffic on a street in the capital Niamey, Niger July 28, 2023. In a sign of this resistance to one-time allies, Niger on Thursday suspended broadcasts of French state-funded international news outlets France 24 and RFI - drawing condemnation from the French foreign ministry. One of the demonstrators in Niamey held a placard that said: "Long live Niger, Russia, Mali and Burkina. After their coups, Burkina Faso and Mali kicked out French troops, many of whom are now stationed in Niger. In Niger, there are signs that regional sanctions are starting to have an impact: Nigeria has cut power supplies to Niger, while Nigerien truckers have been stranded by border closures.

Persons: General Abdourahamane Tiani, Mohamed Bazoum, Tiani, crackdowns, Sall, Antony Blinken, it's, Allah, Sudip Kar, Gupta, Moussa Aksar, Camillus Eboh, Thiam, Tiemoko Diallo, Ange Aboa, Alessandra Prentice, Nellie Peyton, Alexander Winning, Emelia, Nick Macfie, Giles Elgood Organizations: REUTERS, Niger's, France, Economic, West African States, ECOWAS, Sunday, EU, National Assembly, Islamic, Niger, Reuters, West, Senegalese, U.S, United Nations, Nigerien, CFA, Thomson Locations: Niamey, Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, NIAMEY, ABUJA, France, West, Central Africa, Russia, Burkina, Down, al Qaeda, Islamic State, Niger ., Nigeria, Senegal, Nigerian, China, Paris

☆ Fact Check-No evidence Niger coup leaders told US to keep its aid for its own homeless
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

“The United States of America threatens to withhold aid to Niger due to the military takeover […] Niger Military says they should keep their aid and give it to their millions of Homeless people in the United States,” reads part of an Aug. 1 Instagram post that gained over 9,000 likes in two hours (here). U.S. officials have said cutting aid is a possibility if the military takeover continues. Per the report, U.S. law on foreign aid prohibits providing most aid where an elected leader has been deposed via a coup d’etat or decree. France and the European Union have already cut off financial aid, Reuters reported on Saturday (here). As of Aug. 2, there is no evidence Niger’s military leaders publicly said the United States should “keep their aid” in response to American threats to cut ties amid the African country’s military coup.

Persons: Joe Biden, ”, Mohamed Bazoum, John Kirby, Biden, Tiani, “, Read Organizations: U.S, ., Homeless, Facebook, Reuters, Department, White House, European Union Locations: Niger, West, United States, America, U.S, Washington, France

☆ Niger junta says it will not back down despite 'inhumane' sanctions
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Camillus Eboh | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

In a televised address, Abdourahamane Tiani said the junta "rejects these sanctions altogether and refuses to give into any threats, wherever they come from. Nigeria cut power supplies to Niger, a Niger state utility document showed on Wednesday, while truckers in Niamey were stranded by border closures - early signs of fallout from the bloc's sweeping sanctions that Tiani described as "illegal, unjust, and inhumane." "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. In a further sign of the mounting pressure on the junta, the World Bank on Wednesday suspended disbursements to Niger until further notice. Niger is the world's seventh-biggest producer of uranium, the radioactive metal widely used for nuclear energy and treating cancer.

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

CNN —General Salifou Mody, one of the Niger officers who seized power in a military coup last week, visited Mali on Wednesday, according to the Mali presidency, amid speculation of a possible interest in the Wagner mercenary group, which has a presence in the country. Mali’s transitional president, Assimi Goïta, hosted Mody and a large Nigerien military delegation on Wednesday, according to pictures and a statement posted on Facebook by the Mali presidency. Hundreds of Wagner contractors are stationed in Mali at the invitation of the country’s military junta, to quell an Islamist insurgency brewing in an area where the borders of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger meet. Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin last week celebrated the coup in the landlocked West African country, saying his private military company could also help with situations like the one unfolding in Niger. US officials have warned that the Russian mercenary group could now seek new opportunities in Niger.

Persons: Salifou Mody, Wagner, Assimi, Mody, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Bazoum, Matt Miller, Miller, ”, Burkina Faso’s, Niger’s, Mohamed Bazoum Organizations: CNN, Nigerien, Facebook, National Council for, ”, Wednesday ., Central African, Economic, West African States Locations: Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, West, Western, France, Russian, “, Africa, histed, Wednesday . Mali, Sudan, Central African Republic, Sahel, Burkina, Guinea

REUTERS/Remo CasilliPARIS, Aug 2 (Reuters) - The first military planes carrying mostly European nationals evacuated from Niger landed in Paris and Rome on Wednesday, with France and other countries expected to fly more of their citizens out of the West African country after last week's coup. With the risk of conflict escalating, France, the former colonial power, Italy and Spain said they would evacuate citizens by air. The first French flight left Niger on Tuesday evening and landed in Paris early on Wednesday with 262 people on board, according to Reuters journalists there. An Italian military plane carrying 87 evacuees from Niger arrived in Rome early on Wednesday, according to Reuters journalists at the airport. The United States, Germany, and Italy also have troops in Niger on counter-insurgency and training missions.

Persons: Remo Casilli PARIS, Niger's, Mohamed Bazoum, Charles, Manuel Ausloos, Antonio Denti, Remo Casilli, Shivani, Michel Rose, Sandra Maler, Robert Birsel Organizations: Ciampino, REUTERS, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Niger, Rome, Italy, Paris, France, West, Central Africa, Spain, Italian, Britain, Hungary, Senegal, Nigeria, Mali, Burkina Faso, United States, Germany, Shivani Tanna, Bengaluru

☆ Niger: US State Department orders evacuation of non-emergency personnel
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Jennifer Hansler | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —The US State Department on Wednesday ordered the evacuation of non-emergency personnel and family members from Niger following last week’s military takeover. Subsequent events have severely limited flight options,” the State Department said in an updated travel advisory. “We’re working really, really hard to see if we can turn this around,” a senior State Department official said Monday. On Tuesday, however, the US Embassy in Niger asked Americans who are in the country and wish to leave to register with the US State Department. The State Department created a similar form in the midst of deadly violence in Sudan, when scores of Americans were in need of assistance to depart the country.

Persons: Mohamed Bazoum, “, Matt Miller, ”, ” Miller, Kathleen FitzGibbon, Miller Organizations: CNN, US State Department, Wednesday, “, State Department, Department, Embassy, Nigerien, Nigerien Party for Democracy and, Getty, CNN Wednesday, The State Department Locations: Niger, Embassy Niamey, ”, U.S, Niamey, AFP, West, Sahel, Africa, Mali, Burkina Faso, United States, Nigerien, Sudan, France, Italy

☆ 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

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