Our Correspondent | Africa Guardian Niger’s military government has suspended BBC radio broadcasts for three months, accusing the British broadcaster of spreading “erroneous information” regarding a reported jihadist attack. The BBC is the latest Western media outlet targeted by Niger’s leadership since a coup in July 2023. The suspension, effective immediately, alleges that the BBC aired content that could…
Emmanuel Macron’s military drawdown in Africa’s Sahel region continues. France started to pull troops from Niger on Thursday, the French armed forces ministry said in a statement. “The disengagement of military personnel and assets stationed in Niger begins this week. This maneuver should enable all military personnel to return to France before the end of the year,” the statement…
In the late hours of Wednesday, July 26; presidential guards led by a General in Niger Republic announced a successful coup on national television, taking over the government from Nigerienne President, Mohamed Bazoum. They effectively suspended all the institutions set up by the constitution and closed the nation’s borders just after putting president Bazoum under house arrest. The news of a…
By Professor Maurice Okoli The latest political situation unfolded in Niger, the unexpected removal of democratically-elected President Mohamed Bazoum late July and the deepening differences in perception across Africa explicitly shows Africa’s level of political illusions and, practical reality towards attaining unity dimension in Africa. In a nutshell, Africa remains sharply divided. Tracking down the Africa’s unity propagated by…
The UN cautioned of a “deteriorating security situation” in West Africa on Tuesday, after a coup in Niger. “The unfolding crisis, if not addressed will exacerbate the deteriorating security situation in the region,” warned Leonardo Santos Simao, the chief of the United Nations Office for West Africa as well as the Sahel. “It will also negatively impact the development…
France announced a planned evacuation from Niger on Tuesday after a military coup there won backing from two other West African nations ruled by mutinous soldiers. The French Foreign Ministry in Paris cited recent violence that targeted the French Embassy in Niamey, the capital, as one of the reasons for the decision. The closure of Niger’s airspace also “leaves…
France’s foreign minister on Monday denied accusations from Niger’s new junta that Paris is plotting to intervene militarily in Niger. The new junta in Niamey had earlier in the day charged that France was preparing to make a move. “In its search for ways and means to intervene militarily in Niger, France with the complicity of some Nigeriens held a…
The country’s African neighbours condemned the uprising, while the presidency said the army was ready to attack the guards if they did not come to their senses The UN, US and EU also slammed the power grab, amid concerns that West Africa’s seventh coup since 2020 could be under way Presidential guards were holding Niger President Mohamed Bazoum inside…
More than 100 people have drowned in north central Nigeria after a boat carrying families returning from a wedding sank in a river, police and local authorities said on Tuesday. Details about the accident in Kwara State were still emerging, but it was the latest boat tragedy in Nigeria where river capsizes are common due to overloading, lax safety…
French journalist Olivier Dubois was hugged by emotional reporters at a briefing in Niger on Monday announcing the release of him and U.S. aid worker Jeffery Woodke who had been held hostage in West Africa for years by Islamist militants. Dubois was kidnapped in Mali in 2021, while Woodke was kidnapped in neighbouring Niger in 2016. Dubois had appeared…