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Niger: France Weighs Withdrawal of Some Troops From Niger - Reports
DW, 5 September 2023
France has about 1,500 troops stationed in Niger, where there was a coup in July. French media cite government sources as saying the withdrawal of "some elements" is under… Read more »
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Niger: U.S. Drone Flights Limited Since Niger Coup
VOA, 8 September 2023
Two U.S. officials have told VOA that military drone flights from bases in Niger have been "limited" since the July coup, a restriction experts believe is likely hindering the… Read more »
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Niger: Towards a Partial Withdrawal of French Forces
RFI, 8 September 2023
French and Nigerien military officers are discussing a partial withdrawal of certain French military elements deployed in Niger. However, the bulk of French forces in the Sahel… Read more »
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West Africa: Niger PM Looks to Mend Bridges With Ecowas, Promises 'Swift Withdrawal' of French Troops
RFI, 5 September 2023
Niger's military-appointed prime minister has said he sees hopes of a deal with the Economic Communuity of West African States (Ecowas) - that threatened to use force to restore… Read more »
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Niger: Junta Reopens Airspace Weeks After Coup
DW, 4 September 2023
Niger's military rulers are reopening the country's airspace after seizing power on July 26. The junta previously cited the threat of military intervention from the West African… Read more »
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West Africa: Ecowas Chair Tinubu Wants 9-Month Transition in Niger
Premium Times, 4 September 2023
"President Tinubu noted that Nigeria, under General Abdulsalami Abubakar, instituted a nine-month transition programme in 1998, and it proved very successful, leading the country… Read more »
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West Africa: Ecowas Must Do These 3 Things to Break the Stalemate in Niger
The Conversation Africa, 4 September 2023
It's been a month since military guards under the command of General Abdourahamane Tchiani ended 12 years of democratic governance in Niger. The situation seems to have reached a… Read more »
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West Africa: Coups - Citizens Tired of Voting, Not Seeing Results, Say Elders
Vanguard, 4 September 2023
The West African Elders Forum, WAEF, has urged African leaders to respect constitutions and put citizens' welfare, peace, and security at the centre of governance. Read more »
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West Africa: Sahel - Uncontrolled Threats Takes Hold
Centre 4s, 31 August 2023
Immensely vast and still relatively lightly populated, the Sahel continues to be professed as a well-known region. However, for more than a decade, this region has never ceased to… Read more »
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West Africa: Niger - IOM Calls for Humanitarian Corridor to Help Stranded Migrants
UN News, 1 September 2023
The UN migration agency (IOM) called on Friday for the setting up of a humanitarian corridor in Niger to enable voluntary returns of stranded migrants, after July's military… Read more »
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Niger: Does Europe Need Niger's Uranium?
DW, 4 September 2023
Will the lights go out in Europe if Niger were to prevent France from mining more of its uranium? DW asked experts in Niger and Europe about the energy supply chain in the wake of… Read more »
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Africa: How Presidential Trusted Guards Toppled Bazoum, Bongo
Leadership, 3 September 2023
Military and security analysts are beginning to pay more attention to presidential guards across a growing number of African countries who are wielding as much power as the… Read more »
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West Africa: What Niger's Coup Says About U.S. Security Assistance in the Sahel
IPS, 1 September 2023
In what has become an all too familiar phenomenon, U.S.-trained security personnel have been implicated in the July 26th coup that deposed Niger's democratically elected president,… Read more »
Towards a Partial Withdrawal of French Forces From Niger?
French and Nigerien military officers are discussing a partial withdrawal of certain French military elements deployed in Niger. However, the bulk of French forces in the Sahel will remain in Niamey.
Niger's junta earlier said it had reopened the country's airspace to commercial flights. Its airspace was closed on July 26, 2023 after Nigerien officers overthrew the government of President Mohammed Bazoum.
Niger is more than twice the size of France and is the second-largest landlocked country in Africa, covering an area of 1,270,000 square kilometers (around 49,000 square miles). Many flights across the African continent would pass over Niger under normal circumstances. The closure had forced Air France and other European carriers to suspend some flights and take longer routes.
Niger's rulers did not give an immediate explanation for the move to reopen the country's airspace.
Prime Minister Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine, who was appointed by junta leader General Abdourahamane, said that Niamey hoped to reach a deal with ECOWAS. However, he also underscored the junta's intention to defend itself if the bloc proceeds with its threat to mount a military intervention.
French news media is reporting that France has started talks with some Niger army officials about withdrawing some troops from the country, Deutsche Welle reports.
InFocus
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Meeting in the Nigerian capital Abuja on Thursday August 10, 2023, leaders from the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) ordered the immediate deployment of a standby ... Read more »
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Algeria has sent its foreign minister, Ahmed Attaf, on a mediation tour to Nigeria, Benin and Ghana, in an effort to end the crisis in the Republic of Niger, Vanguard re Read more »
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General Abdourahamane Tchiani, the leader of the Niger Republic junta, says that the army will hand over power to a civilian government within the next three years.
Read more »
U.S. Army Special Operations commander Lt. Gen. Jonathan Braga, meets with Brig. Gen. Moussa Barmou, Niger Special Operations Forces commander, to discuss anti-terrorism policy and tactics throughout the region, at Air Base 101, Niger, June 12, 2023
