Nigeria

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Niger soldiers declare coup on national TV

They said they had dissolved the constitution, suspended all institutions and closed the nation's borders.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-66320895?

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How the coup in Niger could expand the reach of Islamic extremism, and Wagner, in West Africa

More than 1,000 U.S. service personnel are in Niger, which until Wednesday’s coup by mutinous soldiers had avoided the military takeovers that destabilized West African neighbors in recent years.

https://apnews.com/article/what-to-know-niger-attempted-coup-security-a229a854e625eb8e15cd2a8c65048bd1?

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Niger's army command declares support for coup launched by presidential guard

Niger's army command on Thursday declared its support for a coup instigated the previous day by soldiers of the presidential guard, saying its priority was to avoid destabilising the country.

https://www.france24.com/en/africa/20230727-niger-s-army-command-declares-support-for-military-coup

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Niger general Tchiani named head of transitional government after coup

Self-appointed leader says coup necessary to avoid ‘the gradual and inevitable demise’ of the country.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/7/28/niger-general-tchiani-named-head-of-transitional-government-after-coup?

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French embassy in Niger is attacked as protesters waving Russian flags march through capital

NIAMEY, Niger (AP) — Thousands of people backing the coup in Niger marched through the streets of the capital denouncing France, the country’s former colonial power, waving Russian flags, and setting a door at the French Embassy ablaze on Sunday before the army broke up the crowd.

https://apnews.com/article/niger-coup-mohamed-bazoum-military-junta-sahel-88ccaa2f004db44601e59475199c5fbe?

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Niger coup: West African leaders threaten military intervention

West African leaders have threatened military action against Niger's junta after it took power in a coup last week.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-66353284?

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Niger has suspended the export of gold and uranium to France this Sunday with immediate effect

France suspended aid to Niger after the recent coup. 1 out of every 3 light bulbs in France is powered with uranium from Niger.

https://zambianobserver.com/niger-has-suspended-the-export-of-gold-and-uranium-to-france-this-sunday-with-immediate-effect/?

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Niger crisis deepens as European nations evacuate and coup leaders get support from other juntas

NIAMEY, Niger (AP) — A French military transport plane carrying Europeans from Niger arrived in Paris Wednesday, in the first such evacuation flight since mutinous soldiers ousted the country’s democratically elected president nearly a week ago and shut its borders.

https://apnews.com/article/niger-coup-west-africa-use-of-force-mali-burkina-faso-0b951ec77a89033c84e6f0972cc21b5f?

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Some of Niger’s neighbors defend the coup there, even hinting at war. It’s a warning for Africa

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Not everyone is hostile to the coups in Niger and other African nations in the past few years that have worried the West. In the “family photo” for last week’s Russia-Africa Summit, Russian President Vladimir Putin stood next to Ibrahim Traore, the young military officer who seized power in Burkina Faso in September.

https://apnews.com/article/niger-coup-africa-russia-france-1c085f0c42d00114c1db07ae845c896e?

Why this matters: The neighbors’ opposition is in defiance of the West African regional body known as ECOWAS, which said Sunday it could use force if Niger’s coup leaders don’t reinstate the democratically elected president, Mohamed Bazoum, within a week.   Part of the frustration in Niger and its neighbors over government weaknesses in addressing corruption and the threat from Islamic extremism has been aimed at France, the former colonizer of present-day Mali, Guinea, Niger and Burkina Faso. The French embassy was attacked in Niger on Sunday, and the one in Burkina Faso was attacked last year.

Related coverage ➤ WATCH: European evacuees from Niger arrive in France The coup in Niger will embolden extremists, says a former jihadi fighter What would West African bloc’s threat to use force to restore democracy in Niger look like?

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Niger coup: Evacuated European nationals arrive in Paris and Rome

Flights evacuating Europeans from Niger have arrived in France and Italy.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-66370002?

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Niger Mutiny: Another U.S.-Trained Military Officer Led Coup

U.S.-trained military officers have taken part in 11 coups in West Africa since 2008.

https://theintercept.com/2023/08/02/intercepted-podcast-niger-coup-us-military-officer/?

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

NIAMEY, Niger (AP) — 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.

https://apnews.com/article/coup-niger-extremists-sahel-c4ff0bc653c8b73366705b19b8c74c3e?

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Niger's hostage president waits for a rescue plan that doesn't get him killed

Nigerien President Mohamed Bazoum’s treacherous bodyguards “stumbled into” a coup attempt, raising international hopes that he can return to power — if the shambolic mutineers don’t kill him first.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/defense-national-security/niger-hostage-president-rescue-plan

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A deadline arrives for Niger’s junta to reinstate the president. Citizens cheer and fear what’s next

NIAMEY, Niger (AP) — The deadline arrived Sunday for Niger’s military junta to reinstate the country’s ousted president, but the West Africa regional bloc that has threatened a military intervention faces prominent appeals to pursue more peaceful means. In the capital, coup leaders appeared at a stadium rally where a chicken decorated in the colors of former colonizer France was beheaded, to cheers.

https://apnews.com/article/niger-coup-extremism-west-africa-nigeria-90b4ce18a4235606f49597bef268b87a?

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Niger coup leaders refuse to let senior US diplomat meet with nation’s president

NIAMEY, Niger (AP) — A senior U.S. diplomat said coup leaders in Niger refused to allow her to meet Monday with the West African country’s democratically elected president, whom she described as under “virtual house arrest.”

https://apnews.com/article/niger-coup-extremism-west-africa-ecowas-6cc3fa0b61adc6d9bcb2fb9745c4dcdf?

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Anger Against France Grows in Africa's "Coup Belt"

With the coup in Niger, Europe and the United States are losing their last reliable partner in the Sahel as Russia's influence grows. The development could severely inhibit the West's ability to fight terrorism in the region.

https://www.spiegel.de/international/world/fallout-from-the-putsch-in-niger-anger-against-france-grows-in-africa-s-coup-belt-a-1ce5ec73-9c91-4da9-a786-7893eed408af?

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Tensions rise as West African nations prepare to send troops to restore democracy in Niger

NIAMEY, Niger (AP) — Tensions are escalating between Niger’s new military regime and the West African regional bloc that has ordered the deployment of troops to restore Niger’s flailing democracy.

https://apnews.com/article/niger-coup-west-africa-bfd1ddcf075379289475d3f72d85fa16?

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Niger junta is open to diplomacy, say Nigerian scholars

Coup leaders in Niger are open to diplomacy to resolve a standoff with West Africa's regional bloc, a group of senior Nigerian Islamic scholars said on Sunday after meeting the junta in Niamey. The delegation of religious leaders from Nigeria met with the junta-appointed Prime Minister Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine on Saturday in Niamey amid ongoing efforts to overcome the crisis. Read our live blog to see how all the day's events unfolded. All times are Paris time (GMT+2).

https://www.france24.com/en/africa/20230813-🔴-live-nigerian-religious-delegation-arrives-in-niger?

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Niger’s coup leaders say they will prosecute deposed President Mohamed Bazoum for ‘high treason’

NIAMEY, Niger (AP) — The military junta that seized power in Niger said it plans to prosecute deposed President Mohamed Bazoum for “high treason” and undermining state security, an announcement that came hours after the mutinous officers said they were open to dialogue with West African nations to resolve the regional crisis.

https://apnews.com/article/niger-coup-leaders-president-bazoum-treason-1e54fa565ec0c659fc233cc695d7de21?

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Niger Junta Appoints U.S.-Trained Military Officers to Key Jobs

The Pentagon claims “no correlation” between U.S. training and coups, but research suggests the opposite could be true.

https://theintercept.com/2023/08/16/niger-coup-junta-us-military/?

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First major jihadi attack since coup kills 17 and wounds dozens in Niger, fueling the West’s fears Insurgents have killed 17 soldiers and wounded nearly 24 in the first major attack in half a year against the army in Niger, where Western powers fear a coup by the elite presidential guard last month is weakening a rare ally against jihadi violence in West Africa’s Sahel region. Read more.

Why this matters: Niger was one of the last democratic countries in the region south of the Sahara. France and the U.S. have about 2,500 military personnel there who were training Niger’s forces. But since the coup, Paris and Washington have suspended military operations, giving the jihadis more breathing room.   Neighboring countries are threatening military action against the coup, whose supporters said Wednesday that they would register volunteers to fight and help with other needs so the junta has a list in case it needs to call on people. It’s not clear how real the possibility of regional conflict is, but the West African regional bloc, ECOWAS, says it has activated a “standby force” to restore order in Niger.

Related coverage ➤ Niger’s neighbors running out of options as defense chiefs meet to discuss potential military force Niger’s coup leaders say they will prosecute deposed President Mohamed Bazoum for ‘high treason’ Niger’s junta asks for help from Russian group Wagner as it faces military intervention threat

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Pentagon Misled Congress About U.S. Bases in Africa

A general failed to mention six U.S. outposts and described a quarter-billion dollar drone hub as “low-cost.”

https://theintercept.com/2023/09/08/africa-air-base-us-military/?

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Deadly explosion off Nigeria points to threat posed by aging oil ships around the world Until early last year, a rusting, 46-year-old oil ship named the Trinity Spirit floated off the coast of Nigeria, pulling crude oil from the ocean floor. Then, last February, it exploded, killing at least five and collapsing into the ocean with 40,000 barrels of oil in one of the deadliest recent tragedies on an oil ship or platform. The Associated Press’ review of court documents, databases, and interviews with crew members reveals that the ship was in a state of near-total disrepair, and the systems meant to ensure its safe operation had gradually fallen away. Read more.

Why this matters: The Trinity Spirit was part of a class of vessels that extract oil offshore and store it at sea. Unlike most ships, they stay in place and can linger at the same oil field for decades. They may be surveyed by in-country regulators or hired inspectors, but they operate outside the normal flow of shipping traffic and the safety and legal inspections that take place in port.   There has been little to no public explanation of what led to the Trinity Spirit’s explosion, though multiple Nigerian agencies had responsibility for overseeing the ship. The Trinity Spirit had been on the same oil field for more than two decades. According to the ship's maintenance operator, after the ship arrived in Nigeria, it was never brought to shore for major upgrades or repairs.   More than 30 of these ships are older than the Trinity Spirit and still operating around the world, according to AP’s review.

Related coverage ➤ More than 1 million barrels of oil removed from deteriorating tanker moored off Yemen, UN says

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Cocoa grown illegally in a Nigerian rainforest head to companies that supply major chocolate makers As the world’s demand for chocolate grows, farmers in Nigeria are moving into protected areas that’s home to endangered species like African forest elephants. Over two visits and several days, The Associated Press repeatedly documented farmers harvesting cocoa beans where that work is banned in areas of the Omo Forest Reserve. Read more.

Key findings: An estimated 1.4 million people in Nigeria depend on cocoa production for their livelihood, according to the U.S. Agency for International Development. But aging cocoa trees are becoming less productive, pushing farmers into the Omo reserve. Conservationists also point to the world’s increasing demand for chocolate, expected by analysts to grow by $20 billion in under a decade.   Big trading companies supply Nigerian cocoa to huge chocolate manufacturers like Mars Inc. and Ferrero, but because the chocolate supply chain is so complex, it’s not clear if cocoa grown illegally makes it into products like Snickers, M&Ms and Nutella.   The chocolate supply chain has long been fraught with human rights abuses, exploitative labor and environmental damage, leading to trade complaints and lawsuits. In response, the chocolate industry has made wide-ranging pledges to ensure they are sourcing cocoa that is traceable, sustainable and free of abuse. But those working in the forest say checks that some companies rely on are not done.

Related coverage ➤ Brazil lawsuits link meat processing giant JBS to destruction of Amazon in protected area, seek millions in damages Logging is growing in a Nigerian forest home to endangered elephants. Rangers blame lax enforcement

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Armed groups kill 113 people in series of attacks across central Nigeria

Armed groups have killed more than 100 people in a string of attacks targeting towns across central Nigeria, another deadly episode in a region with persistent religious and ethnic tensions.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/12/25/armed-groups-kill-113-people-in-series-of-attacks-across-central-nigeria