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Niger junta creates anti-corruption commission
The military regime in Niger that seized power in a coup said late Wednesday it has created an anti-corruption commission to recover public assets. Niger's military took power on July 26, toppling democratically elected president Mohamed Bazoum. The military chiefs...
Niger and ECOWAS: The cost of collective punishment
Lines of hundreds of trucks stretch back many kilometres close to Benin's northern border with Niger, their cargo wasting and their drivers going broke after weeks stranded at the closed frontier. Almost two months since a coup ousted Niger's president, the trucks...
Sahel: Growing tension between Niger and Benin
Niger’s junta dispatched army reinforcements in Gaya, a town located on the border with Benin, some 300 km from Niamey. The increased military presence is likely connected to the border dispute between Niger and Benin on the island of Lété, a conflict that dates back...
Sahel: Niger takes risks over diplomatic standoff with France
The European Union's top diplomat on Monday voiced solidarity with France's ambassador to Niger, who has faced intense pressure after refusing expulsion orders from military leaders. After sacking the elected government in late July, the military said it was expelling...
Sahel: US military resumes surveillance flights over Niger
The United States has resumed surveillance flights over Niger that were halted in the wake of the military takeover there but other activities remain paused, a spokeswoman said Thursday. "We can confirm that US forces in Niger commenced ISR flights to monitor for...
Niger cancels 1,000 diplomatic passports from ousted regime
The new military rulers of Niger have cancelled more than 990 diplomatic passports held by nationals and foreigners linked to the ousted regime. The foreign ministry has written to notify diplomatic representations in Niger that the passports are now "lapsed",...
Niger: Anti-France groups maintain pressure, want France out
"Macron, get out of our house," thousands of young demonstrators chant to the rhythm of reggae, making plain their demand for French soldiers to leave Niger. Rallies to protest the 1,500-strong French military presence have attracted tens of thousands of people to the...
Niger says France is planning to intervene to launch counter-coup
Niger's military regime, which took power in July, accused France of deploying forces in several West African countries with a view to "military intervention". "France continues to deploy its forces in several ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States)...
Leaders of Francophone Africa gripped by fear, strengthen their own security
By Arezki Daoud: Leaders of Francophone Africa are in state of panic following a series of coups that toppled their peers in Mali, Burkina, Guinea, Niger and now Gabon. Last week, Rwanda's President Paul Kagame announced the retirement of hundreds of military...
Sahel: France considering selective troop pullout from Niger
The French army is holding talks with Niger's military over withdrawing "elements" of its presence there following a coup, a defence ministry source said on Tuesday. There has been speculation that France will be forced into a full military pullout from Niger after...
Niger: France stills insists on restoring ousted president Bezoum
Niger's military regime fired a new verbal broadside at France on Friday, accusing Paris of "blatant interference" by backing the country's ousted president as protestors rallied near a French base outside the capital Niamey. President Mohamed Bazoum, a French ally...
Niger-France relations sour as pressure groups in Niger demand withdrawal of French troops
Thousands of demonstrators in Niger on Sunday held a third day of rallies calling for former colonial ruler France to withdraw its troops, as sought by the junta which seized power in July. "Down with France! France get out," the demonstrators chanted, repeating...
Niger: Anti-France sentiment spikes in Niger, tense weekend of protests ahead
Niger braced Friday for a weekend of planned anti-French rallies as tensions mount between the country's new military rulers and its traditional ally. A coalition of civil society groups opposed to the presence of French forces in Niger has called a three-day sit-in,...
Sahel: Niger wants French ambassador out
Niger's new military rulers have stripped France's ambassador of diplomatic immunity and ordered police to expel him, according to a letter seen Thursday by AFP, a move that ratchets up tensions with the country's traditional ally. The envoy "no longer enjoys the...
Sahel: Sanctions imposed against Niger to trigger catastrophic humanitarian crisis
The United Nations warned Tuesday that the political crisis in Niger and the sanctions imposed against the coup regime risk triggering "catastrophic" humanitarian effects. UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, said it had revised contingency planning for Niger since a...
Don’t expect Wagner to abandon Africa after Prigozhin’s announced death
Despite the reported death of the Russian mercenary boss Yevgeny Prigozhin, Moscow has every interest in continuing his Wagner paramilitary group's activities in Africa, experts told AFP on Thursday. Russia has been outsourcing activities in Africa to Wagner since...
Algeria looking to ease tension in Sahel after Niger coup
Algeria's top diplomat began a tour of West African countries Wednesday in a bid to find a solution following the coup in neighbouring Niger, where Algiers opposes any military intervention. Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf was "mandated by President Abdelmadjid Tebboune"...
Sahel: As political tensions persist, Niger population faces hardship
Floods this week have caused the death of 31 people in politically battered Niger, including eight following the collapse of dwellings and and 23 by drowning. On August 21, 2023, the General Directorate of Civil Protection (DGPC) said it recorded 88,516 victims...
Sahel: Political situation in Niger worsens with African Union suspending membership
By Aymeric Vincenot: The African Union said Tuesday that it had suspended Niger's membership in the wake of a military coup, but responded cautiously to a threatened military operation to restore its ousted president, as Nigerien TV said 12 soldiers were killed in a...
Niger crisis: Burkina Faso sides with Niger junta, suspends media for anti-Niger stance
Burkina Faso's junta-led government has suspended one of the country's most popular radio stations after it broadcast an interview deemed "insulting" to Niger's new military leaders. Radio Omega was immediately suspended on Thursday "until further notice,"...
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