The Trump administration is canceling humanitarian aid programs it previously identified as lifesaving, according to an internal State Department email obtained by The Atlantic.

The new round of cuts will reportedly end all U.S. humanitarian

Human Rights Watch (HRW) has called on Nigerien authorities to conduct an independent investigation into a drone attack by the army in January, which the rights group alleges killed about 17 civilians, including four children. In a statement, HRW said while the attack also killed several militants, it constituted a violation of international law.

Witnesses reported that on January 6, a drone was seen flying over

Heavy security has been deployed around the Diori Hamani International Airport in Niamey after a suspected militia attack on Thursday involving drones and heavy artillery. The airport, about 10km from the presidential palace, houses an air force base and the headquarters for the joint force created by Niger, Burkina Faso, and Mali. All three

Human Rights Watch has called on the government of Burkina Faso to immediately drop "baseless" charges brought against several aid workers who were detained by security forces on allegations of spying and treason. 

The head of a Netherlands-based non-governmental organization operating in the West African country and several of his staff were arrested in Ouagadougou between July and August 2025, but the

Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger have pulled out of the International Criminal Court (ICC). In a joint statement, the military-led West African states said that the court's jurisdiction had "transformed into an instrument of neocolonial repression in the hands of imperialism". The countries accused the ICC of being a global example of "selective justice".

The military-led governments argued

Human Rights Watch has called on Niger's junta to immediately release former President Mohamed Bazoum, who was ousted in a military coup in 2023. Led by General Abdourahamane Tiani, army officers overthrew Bazoum's government and arrested him and his wife. 

"Niger's military junta demonstrates its contempt for the rule of law every day it detains former President Bazoum and his wife," Human Rights Watch's researcher, Ilaria Allegrozzi, said. The rights group

A court in Niger's capital, Niamey, has rejected an appeal by prominent human rights activist Moussa Tiangari, marking his third failed attempt to have a politically motivated case against him dismissed.

Tiangari, 55, and secretary general of Citizens Alternative Spaces (AEC) has been in detention since December 2024 and was later charged with conspiracy and plotting against the state, crimes that could carry

The Alliance Of Sahel States  - comprising Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso - has revealed plans for the establishment of a regional court that will prosecute criminal and human rights offenses across their borders. The Sahelian Criminal and Human Rights Court will harmonize the legal systems of the three countries and create what officials say is "an area of peace, security, and sustainable development".

Nigerian President Bola Tinubu has warned that the growing number of unconstitutional changes in West Africa is endangering the region's democratic progress and overall stability. In a statement delivered on his behalf by a senior Nigerian official at the launch of ECOWAS Golden Jubilee ceremony in Ghana, President Tinubu said democracy and good governance are "fundamental principles that bind us".

Westt African heads of state

Algeria has denied the accusation of shooting down a Malian reconnaissance drone inside Malian territory. The Algerian defense ministry said radar data proves the drone had violated Algerian airspace. The accusation has led to deterioration of already fraught diplomatic relations between both nations.

Algeria has announced the shutting of its airspace to flight "to and from Mali," and recalled its