Niger adds to growing list of countries in the Sahel run by the military
1 year, 4 months ago

Niger adds to growing list of countries in the Sahel run by the military

Associated Press  

ABUJA, Nigeria — Mutinous soldiers in Niger this week overthrew the democratically elected government of President Mohamed Bazoum, adding to a growing list of military regimes in West Africa’s Sahel region and raising fears of regional destabilization. Karim Manuel, west and central Africa analyst for the Economist Intelligence Unit, says the military governments threaten to unwind democratic gains made not just in the Sahel region but in the broader West Africa region. Here are countries in the Sahel with military regimes: MALI: The Sahel’s latest wave of coups kicked off in Mali in August 2020 when the democratically elected President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta was overthrown by soldiers led by Col. Assimi Goita. SUDAN: Sudan slipped under military rule in October 2021 when soldiers dissolved the transitional government of Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok as well as the Sovereign Council, a power-sharing body of military officers and civilians.

Military Region President Burkina Faso Chad Mali Niger Sahel  soldiers  run  elected  niger  sahel  months  rule  west  adds  region  growing  military  president  transitional  countries  list

History of this topic

Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger agree to grace period in ECOWAS withdrawal
1 week, 2 days ago

Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger agree to grace period in ECOWAS withdrawal

Al Jazeera  

The Economic Community of West African States hopes to use this time to convince the three nations to stay in the bloc. Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger will have a six-month grace period following their exit from the Economic Community of West African States, scheduled for January 29, a year after the countries announced their intentions to leave. The decision, …

Burkina Faso's military leader dissolves government, sacks prime minister
2 weeks, 3 days ago

Burkina Faso's military leader dissolves government, sacks prime minister

Firstpost  

The west African country was plunged into instability by a January 2022 coup in which Lieutenant-Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba seized power from elected president Roch Marc Christian Kabore Burkina Faso’s ruling military leader on Friday dismissed the country’s prime minister and dissolved the government, according to a presidential decree transmitted to AFP. “The prime minister’s official functions are terminated,” said …

A year has passed since Niger’s dramatic coup. Life has become more dangerous and desperate
4 months, 4 weeks ago

A year has passed since Niger’s dramatic coup. Life has become more dangerous and desperate

Associated Press  

ABUJA, Nigeria — When a group of military officers appeared on state television in Niger one year ago to make a dramatic announcement of a coup, they said they deposed the West African nation’s elected government for two key reasons: its security, and economic crises. “Niger’s army is running out of material with the retreat of Western forces which the …

Terrorism and organized crime rampant in Sahel and spilling into West Africa coastal states, UN says
5 months, 1 week ago

Terrorism and organized crime rampant in Sahel and spilling into West Africa coastal states, UN says

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Please try again later {{ …

What’s behind the creation of the Alliance of Sahel States?
5 months, 2 weeks ago

What’s behind the creation of the Alliance of Sahel States?

Al Jazeera  

Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso have set up their own bloc, after leaving ECOWAS. Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger have come together to form the Alliance of Sahel States. Each is ruled by a military government – and that’s led to a split from the larger West African regional bloc, the Economic Community of West African States. Or will a …

Nigeria: At least 21 soldiers killed in ambush by 'terrorist group,' ruling junta says
5 months, 4 weeks ago

Nigeria: At least 21 soldiers killed in ambush by 'terrorist group,' ruling junta says

India TV News  

Niamey : An ambush by a “terrorist group” killed 21 Nigerien soldiers near the country's border with Burkina Faso on Tuesday, Niger's ruling military junta said in a statement read on national television. Niger and neighboring Mali and Burkina Faso are also battling movements linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State extremist group in a decade-long conflict in the Sahel …

Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger finalise regional alliance project
7 months ago

Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger finalise regional alliance project

The Hindu  

Junta-run Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger have finalised plans to form a confederation after turning their backs on former colonial ruler France to seek closer ties with Russia. Their Foreign Ministers met Friday in Niger's capital Niamey to agree on a text establishing the Confederation of the Alliance of Sahel States. "The objective was to finalise the draft text relating …

No final decision on withdrawing US troops from Niger and Chad, top official tells AP
7 months, 4 weeks ago

No final decision on withdrawing US troops from Niger and Chad, top official tells AP

Associated Press  

BOSTON — There has been no final decision on whether or not all U.S. troops will leave Niger and Chad, two African countries that are integral to the military’s efforts to counter violent extremist organizations across the Sahel region, a top U.S. military official told The Associated Press on Wednesday. The State Department said Wednesday night that U.S. and Nigerien …

US military operations across the Sahel are at risk after Niger ends cooperation
9 months ago

US military operations across the Sahel are at risk after Niger ends cooperation

Associated Press  

DAKAR, Senegal — The United States scrambled on Sunday to assess the future of its counterterrorism operations in the Sahel after Niger’s junta said it was ending its yearslong military cooperation with Washington following a visit by top U.S. officials. Top U.S. envoy Molly Phee returned to the capital, Niamey, this week to meet with senior government officials, accompanied by …

Juntas ruling Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso agree to create a joint force to fight worsening violence
9 months, 2 weeks ago

Juntas ruling Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso agree to create a joint force to fight worsening violence

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Please try again later {{ …

France completes military withdrawal from Niger, leaving a gap in the terror fight in the Sahel
1 year ago

France completes military withdrawal from Niger, leaving a gap in the terror fight in the Sahel

Associated Press  

ABUJA, Nigeria — France on Friday completed the withdrawal of its troops after they were asked to leave Niger by the country’s new junta, ending years of on-the-ground military support and raising concerns from analysts about a gap in the fight against jihadi violence across the Sahel region of Africa. France already announced this week that it would close its …

Burkina Faso’s junta says its intelligence and security services have foiled a coup attempt
1 year, 2 months ago

Burkina Faso’s junta says its intelligence and security services have foiled a coup attempt

Associated Press  

ABUJA, Nigeria — Burkina Faso’s military government said Wednesday its intelligence and security services had thwarted a coup attempt and were actively pursuing others believed involved in what it called a bid to “throw our country into chaos.” A junta statement said the coup attempt happened Tuesday without providing further details. “Officers and other alleged actors involved in this attempt …

Niger’s junta accuses United Nations chief of blocking its participation at General Assembly
1 year, 3 months ago

Niger’s junta accuses United Nations chief of blocking its participation at General Assembly

Associated Press  

ABUJA, Nigeria — The military government that seized power in Niger has accused United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres of “obstructing” the West African nation’s full participation at the U.N.'s annual meeting of world leaders in order to appease France, Niger’s former colonizer, and its allies. The decision to not allow the junta’s envoy to speak at the U.N. General Assembly …

Leader of Niger’s junta says it will restore civilian rule within 3 years, but gives no details
1 year, 4 months ago

Leader of Niger’s junta says it will restore civilian rule within 3 years, but gives no details

Associated Press  

NIAMEY, Niger — The leader of mutinous soldiers who ousted Niger’s democratically elected president said Saturday night that they will return the country to civilian rule within three years. On Friday, the ECOWAS commissioner for peace and security, Abdel-Fatau Musah, said 11 of its 15 member states had agreed to commit troops to military intervention, saying they were “ready to …

11 nations of West Africa commit to a military deployment to restore the ousted president of Niger
1 year, 4 months ago

11 nations of West Africa commit to a military deployment to restore the ousted president of Niger

Associated Press  

NIAMEY, Niger — Eleven West African nations have agreed to commit troops to a military deployment aimed at restoring Niger’s democratically elected president following last month’s coup, an official for the regional bloc said Friday after a defense ministers meeting. The overthrow of the president nearly one month ago has been a big blow to the United States, France and …

West African militaries meet to finalise possible Niger intervention
1 year, 4 months ago

West African militaries meet to finalise possible Niger intervention

The Hindu  

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 …

Niger’s junta gains the upper hand over the regional bloc threatening military force, analysts say
1 year, 4 months ago

Niger’s junta gains the upper hand over the regional bloc threatening military force, analysts say

Associated Press  

NIAMEY, Niger — One week after a deadline passed for mutinous soldiers in Niger to reinstate the country’s ousted president or face military intervention, the junta has not acquiesced. The West African bloc ECOWAS had given the soldiers that overthrew Niger’s democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum until last Sunday to release and reinstate him or they threatened military action. ECOWAS …

Niger military names 21-person cabinet ahead of key West African summit
1 year, 4 months ago

Niger military names 21-person cabinet ahead of key West African summit

Al Jazeera  

ECOWAS leaders will hold a summit to agree on a plan of action for Niger, where coup leaders refuse to stand down. Heads of state in the Economic Community of West African States are holding a summit in Nigeria to agree on a plan of action for Niger, where the coup leaders have refused to stand down. The bloc’s leaders …

Niger’s junta isn’t backing down, and a regional force prepares to intervene. Here’s what to expect
1 year, 4 months ago

Niger’s junta isn’t backing down, and a regional force prepares to intervene. Here’s what to expect

Associated Press  

ABUJA, Nigeria — Regional mediation efforts to reverse the coup in Niger and restore its democracy collapsed as soon as they started. MILITARY STRATEGY It’s not clear what the strategy of military intervention in land-locked Niger would look like, but the country enjoys some territorial advantage. On the frontline of efforts to reverse the coup in Niger is its longtime …

West Africa defense chiefs finalize Niger intervention plan as junta negotiations deadlock
1 year, 4 months ago

West Africa defense chiefs finalize Niger intervention plan as junta negotiations deadlock

Associated Press  

NIAMEY, Niger — Defense chiefs from West African nations finalized an intervention plan Friday and urged militaries to ready resources after negotiations deadlocked with Niger’s military junta, which says it is severing military agreements with France, its former colonial ruler. However, defense chiefs from ECOWAS countries excluding Mali, Burkina Faso, Chad, Guinea and Niger met Friday in Abuja, Nigeria, concluding …

West African leaders make plan for military intervention in Niger
1 year, 4 months ago

West African leaders make plan for military intervention in Niger

Al Jazeera  

Regional bloc ECOWAS works out potential operation to back up ultimatum to coup leaders to give up power by Sunday. West African defence chiefs have made a plan for potential military intervention to reverse last week’s coup in Niger, including how and when to deploy forces. ECOWAS has already imposed sanctions on Niger and said it could authorise the use …

Niger’s Bazoum warns of ‘devastating’ fallout for world if coup succeeds
1 year, 4 months ago

Niger’s Bazoum warns of ‘devastating’ fallout for world if coup succeeds

Al Jazeera  

President Mohamed Bazoum calls on international community to help country ‘restore our constitutional order’. Niger’s ousted President Mohamed Bazoum has called on the international community to return his government to power, warning of “devastating” consequences for the world if the coup against him succeeds. In an op-ed in the Washington Post, Bazoum, who was deposed last week by the military, …

Explained | Does the coup in Niger point to a wider pattern in the Sahel?
1 year, 4 months ago

Explained | Does the coup in Niger point to a wider pattern in the Sahel?

The Hindu  

The story so far: Amping up pressure on Niger’s mutinous military junta on Saturday, July 29, the African Union demanded the country’s military “return to their barracks and restore constitutional authority” within 15 days. Like other countries in the wider Sahel region, the African region separating the Sahara Desert in the north from the tropics to the south, Niger has …

Niger’s premier issues call from France for international help to roll back his country’s coup
1 year, 4 months ago

Niger’s premier issues call from France for international help to roll back his country’s coup

Associated Press  

PARIS — Niger’s prime minister, who has been stuck outside the country since last week’s coup, appealed Tuesday for the international community’s help in rolling back the military takeover, saying it was crucial for defending democracy in West Africa. Prime Minister Ouhoumoudou Mahamadou said in an interview with The Associated Press that Niger should be considered a linchpin for supporting …

Burkina Faso, Mali warn against military intervention in Niger
1 year, 4 months ago

Burkina Faso, Mali warn against military intervention in Niger

Al Jazeera  

Niger’s neighbours say any intervention to restore deposed President Mohamed Bazoum will be considered a ‘declaration of war’ against them. The military governments of Burkina Faso and Mali have warned that any military intervention against last week’s coup leaders in Niger would be considered a “declaration of war” against their nations. Niger’s neighbours issued the warning in joint statements read …

Supporters of Niger military government take to the streets
1 year, 4 months ago

Supporters of Niger military government take to the streets

Al Jazeera  

Thousands of supporters of the military leaders that took over Niger in a coup this week marched through the streets of the capital, denouncing the country’s former colonial power and lighting a door at the French embassy ablaze before the army broke up the crowd. Niger, a French colony until 1960, had been seen as the West’s last reliable partner …

Despite anti-coup rhetoric, can the West exit Niger, its latest Sahel hub?
1 year, 4 months ago

Despite anti-coup rhetoric, can the West exit Niger, its latest Sahel hub?

Al Jazeera  

As the international community condemns the unfolding coup in Niger, analysts say the West still needs a presence there for an eye on the Sahel. “Our first coup d’etat was Kountche, Colonel Kountche, on 15 April, 1974,” said Afhagad, who asked to use a pseudonym amid the country’s ongoing political crisis, before quickly rattling off names of other strongmen who …

‘Deteriorating security’: What led to Niger’s coup and what next?
1 year, 4 months ago

‘Deteriorating security’: What led to Niger’s coup and what next?

Al Jazeera  

Niger plotters cited worsening insecurity in their takeover speech, a go-to reason for recent coups in the Sahel. Wednesday’s successful mutiny also has implications for a region usually derided as a “coup belt”: it was also the sixth successful coup in West Africa since 2020 after two apiece in neighbours Burkina Faso and Mali as well as one in Guinea. …

Sahel ‘at a crossroads’ as armed groups gain sway in Africa: UN
1 year, 7 months ago

Sahel ‘at a crossroads’ as armed groups gain sway in Africa: UN

Al Jazeera  

Efforts to combat armed groups linked to ISIL, al-Qaeda, and others have failed to stop their expansion in Africa’s Sahel region, a senior United Nations official has warned. Without greater international support and regional cooperation, the instability will increase towards West African coastal countries, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Africa Martha Pobee told a Security Council meeting on Tuesday. “The devastating …

UN: Africa’s Sahel desperately needs help to fight violent extremism and stop its spread
1 year, 7 months ago

UN: Africa’s Sahel desperately needs help to fight violent extremism and stop its spread

Associated Press  

UNITED NATIONS — Africa’s Sahel region has become a hot spot for violent extremism, but the joint force set up in 2014 to combat groups linked to the Islamic State, al-Qaida and others has failed to stop their inroads, and a senior U.N. official warned Tuesday that without greater international support and regional cooperation the instability will expand toward West …

EXPLAINED | How the Sudan crisis puts the entire Sahel at risk
1 year, 7 months ago

EXPLAINED | How the Sudan crisis puts the entire Sahel at risk

The Hindu  

Published : May 10, 2023 18:08 IST - 5 MINS READ Hopes for a quick resolution to the fighting in Sudan are fading. UN Special Representative Volker Perthes also recently told DW that the fighting in Sudan attracts “opportunists and mercenaries”, who seek to enrich themselves. He warns the Sudan crisis could fuel “two crisis regions”: in the Horn of …

Sudan general says military leaders clinging to power
1 year, 9 months ago

Sudan general says military leaders clinging to power

Associated Press  

CAIRO — A powerful paramilitary commander slammed Sudan’s ruling generals Tuesday, saying they oppose stepping down to allow for a democratic transition under a civilian administration. Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, commander of Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces, said his conflict with other military leaders, which has become public in recent weeks, is centered on the issue of handing over power to …

West African leaders agree to create regional force to intervene against jihadism, coups
2 years ago

West African leaders agree to create regional force to intervene against jihadism, coups

Firstpost  

National armies, largely powerless against the jihadist forces operating across borders, have been cooperating with external actors such as the UN, France and Russia Abuja, Nigeria: West African leaders agreed on Sunday to create a regional force to intervene against jihadism and in the event of coups, a senior official said. Leaders of the Economic Community of West African States …

Sahel insecurity, post-coup sanctions loom large at ECOWAS summit
2 years, 5 months ago

Sahel insecurity, post-coup sanctions loom large at ECOWAS summit

Al Jazeera  

The Western African leaders are expected to discuss efforts to restore civilian rule in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Guinea. West African leaders are meeting in Ghana’s capital for a summit of the Economic Community of African States, where rising insecurity in the Sahel and questions over how the bloc will move to restore civilian rule following three separate military coups …

UN, Niger lament Mali’s withdrawal from G5 Sahel force
2 years, 7 months ago

UN, Niger lament Mali’s withdrawal from G5 Sahel force

Al Jazeera  

The decision to abandon the multinational effort may further isolate Bamako on the regional and global stage. The United Nations’ top political official for Africa has bemoaned Mali’s decision to withdraw from a multinational military force in West Africa’s Sahel region, calling the move “unfortunate and regrettable”. Assistant Secretary-General Martha Pobee told a meeting of the UN’s Security Council on …

Mali government pulls military out of regional G5 Sahel force
2 years, 7 months ago

Mali government pulls military out of regional G5 Sahel force

Al Jazeera  

Since 2012, armed groups have sought to unseat the democratically elected government, which has been overthrown twice in two years by the military. Mali is pulling out of a multinational military force in West Africa’s Sahel region combatting an armed rebellion, the country’s military government has said. The G5 Sahel force, which includes troops from Niger, Chad, Burkina Faso and …

Why have civilians welcomed the recent coups in West Africa?
2 years, 10 months ago

Why have civilians welcomed the recent coups in West Africa?

Al Jazeera  

In the last two years, three fragile countries in West Africa – Mali, Guinea and Burkina Faso – succumbed to instability and experienced military takeovers. In further legitimising the putschists, citizens in Burkina Faso, Guinea and Mali have accused their former colonial masters of being complicit in their plight and rejected external interventions and sanctions – mainly imposed by the …

UN says many lives lost daily in Africa’s Sahel Crisis
3 years, 1 month ago

UN says many lives lost daily in Africa’s Sahel Crisis

Associated Press  

UNITED NATIONS — The U.N. peacekeeping chief warned Friday that the crisis in Africa’s Sahel region remains volatile, with insecurity and instability seriously undermining prospects for development and many lives lost every day as a result of terrorist attacks. U.S. deputy ambassador Richard Mills echoed the alarm of the U.N. and other council members at “rising violent extremism, intercommunal violence, …

What led to the military coup d’etat in Sudan? An explainer
3 years, 1 month ago

What led to the military coup d’etat in Sudan? An explainer

LA Times  

A pro-democracy protester flashes the victory sign as thousands take to the streets in Khartoum, Sudan, to condemn a military takeover. Monday’s military coup d’etat in Sudan threatens to wreck the country’s fragile transition to democracy, more than two years after a popular uprising forced the removal of longtime autocrat Omar Bashir. The military dissolved the transitional government of Prime …

Sudan’s military dissolves cabinet, announces state of emergency
3 years, 1 month ago

Sudan’s military dissolves cabinet, announces state of emergency

Al Jazeera  

General al-Burhan also said the military will appoint a technocratic government to lead the country to elections in July 2023. Sudan’s military leader has declared a state of emergency across the country while dissolving its transitional cabinet and the sovereign council in a huge blow to the country’s already fragile transition towards democracy. In his announcement, Burhan said that the …

Discover Related