Nigeria

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Blinken Visits Nigeria as Questions Swirl About Civilian Deaths and U.S. Security Ties

The Nigerian military conducted an airstrike last month on a religious festival in the northern part of the country, killing scores of Nigerian civilians. Thirty minutes later, the military launched a second missile, killing dozens more, including people trying to rescue victims of the first strike.

https://theintercept.com/2024/01/23/nigeria-civilian-deaths-antony-blinken/?

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U.S.-Trained Niger Junta Kicks Out U.S. Troops, Drone Base

The junta denounced the “condescending attitude” of an American delegation that tried to save a quarter-billion-dollar U.S. base in Niger.

https://theintercept.com/2024/03/19/niger-junta-throws-us-troops-drone-base/?

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🪖 1,000-troop withdrawal

Air Base 201 in Niger. Photo: Carley Petesch/AP The U.S. military will withdraw 1,000+ troops from Niger, in West Africa, after the country's army seized power in a coup. Why it matters: The troops are part of U.S. counterterrorism efforts against ISIS and an al-Qaeda affiliate in the region, Reuters reports. The junta is shifting its allegiance toward the Kremlin. The Pentagon is discussing backup drone bases with several countries.

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Female suicide bombers kill at least 18 in coordinated attack in Nigeria, authorities say

MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (AP) — Female suicide bombers targeted a wedding, a funeral and a hospital in coordinated attacks in northern Nigeria that killed at least 18 people, local authorities said Sunday.

https://apnews.com/article/boko-haram-bombing-nigeria-borno-female-suicide-e1ae2c6b0f1d86a5dffbad213b21c3d9?

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29 Nigerian children may be sentenced to death for protesting against cost-of-living crisis

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Twenty-nine children could be facing the death penalty in Nigeria after they were arraigned Friday for participating in a protest against the country’s record cost-of-living crisis. Four of them collapsed in court due to exhaustion before they could enter a plea.

https://apnews.com/article/nigeria-minors-death-sentence-costofliving-crisis-5ee0c4023575f31bbf569c3e49045d54?

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In Nigeria’s lithium boom, many mines are illegal and children do much of the work The growing demand for lithium has created a new frontier for mining in mineral-rich Nigeria. But it has come with a steep cost, exploiting its poorest and most vulnerable: its children. Their work, mostly in small-scale mines and unsafe sites, often provides material for Chinese businesses that dominate Nigeria’s laxly regulated extractive industry and are often blamed for illegal mining and labor exploitation. Read more.

Why this matters: The International Labour Organization estimates more than 1 million children work in mines and quarries worldwide, a problem particularly acute in Africa, where poverty, limited access to education and weak regulations add to the problem.   The Chinese embassy in Abuja said Chinese mining companies in Nigeria “operate in line with local laws and regulations.” Nigeria has laws requiring basic education and prohibiting child labor, but enforcement is a challenge, with many illegal mines in hard-to-reach areas. Corruption among regulatory and law enforcement officials is also a problem. The government said it’s pursuing reforms that would toughen laws.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Federal appeals court upholds $14.25 million fine against Exxon for pollution in Texas   Bitcoin mining is one of the suspected causes of the power outages disrupting life in Iran   Some in seafood industry see Trump as fishermen’s friend, but tariffs could make for pricier fish

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Nigeria’s Military Gets Billions in U.S. Aid. On Christmas Day, It Bombed Its Own Civilians Again.

On Christmas day, a Nigerian military aircraft bombed two villages, killing at least 10 civilians and wounding many more.

https://theintercept.com/2025/01/06/nigeria-airstrike-civilian-deaths/?

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Gunmen kill at least 52 people and displace hundreds in northern Nigeria

Gunmen have killed at least 52 people and displaced nearly 2,000 others over several days of attacks in Nigeria’s northern Plateau state, which has a history of violence between farmers and cattle herders, the national emergency agency said.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/rcna199958

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Boko Haram’s resurgence: Why Nigeria’s military is struggling to hold the line A resurgence of Boko Haram attacks is shaking Nigeria’s northeast, raising fears of a possible return to peak Boko Haram-era insecurity despite the military’s claims of successes. Read more.

Why this matters: Boko Haram, Nigeria’s homegrown jihadis, took up arms in 2009 to fight Western education and impose their radical version of Islamic law. The conflict has spilled into Nigeria’s northern neighbors and resulted in the death of around 35,000 civilians and the displacement of more than 2 million others, according to the United Nations.   Federal lawmakers highlight the extremists’ growing sophistication and advanced weaponry, calling on the government to bolster military capabilities. The Nigerian military didn’t respond to a request for comment.   At its peak in 2013 and 2014, Boko Haram gained global notoriety after kidnapping 276 Chibok schoolgirls and controlling an area the size of Belgium. While it has lost much of that territory because of military campaigns, the new surge in Boko Haram attacks has raised fears about a possible return to the past.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ US military shifts messaging in Africa, telling allies to prepare to stand more on their own   Nigeria has a food security problem as water for crops is harder to find

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Floods kill at least 111 as northern Nigeria battles climate change, dry spells and heavy rainfall

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Torrents of predawn rain unleashed flooding that killed at least 111 people in a market town where northern Nigerian farmers sell their wares to traders from the south, officials said Friday, predicting the death toll would grow.

https://apnews.com/article/nigeria-flood-deaths-mokwa-69dcc0b8c06a052e83643edb20838db6?