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Three West African junta-led states quit ECOWAS regional block

Three West African junta-led states quit ECOWAS regional block

NIGER, Mali and Burkina Faso, three West African states led by the military, said that they are immediately leaving the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), a regional economic bloc that has been urging them to return to democratic rule. The decision by the three, announced in a simultaneous joint statement on their national television channels, is a blow to the bloc's regional integration efforts after it suspended the three following coups. The move could further weaken ECOWAS which has struggled to contain a democratic retreat in the West Africa region. In response to the withdrawal, ECOWAS said it…
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More than 40 killed in artisanal mine collapse in southwest Mali – mines ministry

More than 40 killed in artisanal mine collapse in southwest Mali – mines ministry

MORE than 40 artisanal gold miners were killed in southwest Mali last week after the shaft they were working in collapsed, Mali's mines ministry said. Artisanal mining is a common activity across much of West Africa and has risen in recent years due to growing demand for metals and rising prices. Deadly accidents are frequent as artisanal miners often use old-fashioned and unregulated methods of digging. The incident in Mali occurred on Friday on a site in the Kangaba Cercle in the south-western Koulikoro Region, the mines ministry said in a statement on Tuesday that did not specify the number…
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Two goals in six minutes earn Mali win over South Africa

Two goals in six minutes earn Mali win over South Africa

MALI took advantage of an early let-off to beat South Africa 2-0 in the Africa Cup of Nations on Tuesday and take the lead in Group E. After Percy Tau missed a penalty for South Africa, Mali captain Hamari Traore broke the deadlock after an hour and Lassine Sinayoko added a second six minutes later to put the west Africans ahead of Namibia on goal difference in the standings. Traore was quickest to react and scored from centimetres out after South Africa goalkeeper Ronwen Williams had barely kept out a curling free kick from Sekou Koita at the Amadou Gon…
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Military-led Sahel states rally thousands to support alliance

Military-led Sahel states rally thousands to support alliance

THE prime ministers of Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali affirmed their commitment to a shared future under an alliance that has seen the three junta-led countries distance themselves from the larger West African political bloc since their coups. The three neighbouring states are all ruled by military officers who have seized power in coups since 2020. This has put them at odds with the rest of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), which is urging them to return to democratic rule. "From now on, we say, whether you're from Mali, Niger or Burkina, we have the same destiny. We're…
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UN peacekeeping mission in Mali completes its withdrawal

UN peacekeeping mission in Mali completes its withdrawal

THE U.N. peacekeeping mission in Mali, MINUSMA, is poised to complete its withdrawal from the country, the United Nations said in a statement. Security experts warn the area could now become the focus of a struggle in the north as rebel groups and the army seek to take areas that the U.N. has left, further destabilising Mali, where Islamist militants linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State also roam. Violence in Mali has spiked since June when the military junta which took power in a 2021 coup ordered the U.N.'s decade-old peacekeeping mission to leave. The U.N. said only a small team will…
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Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso to move toward monetary alliance, Niger leader says

Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso to move toward monetary alliance, Niger leader says

NIGER, Mali and Burkina Faso are eyeing a political and monetary alliance, Niger's military leader said on national television of a move that could mark a further break with the West African regional bloc. Niger's General Abdourahamane Tiani did not give a timeline or details about the project but said it was one of the reasons for his recent visit to both countries. "In addition to the security domain, our alliance must evolve in the political domain and in the monetary domain," he said in an interview on Niger's RTS channel late on Sunday. The three neighbouring states are all…
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Mali and Niger revoke tax cooperation treaties with France

Mali and Niger revoke tax cooperation treaties with France

MALI and Niger have revoked two treaties with France for cooperation and administrative assistance in tax matters, their governments said in a statement. The two West African countries are both run by military juntas that seized power in coups and have been taking steps to distance themselves from former colonial ruler France, which had previously been a close partner in security and other areas. The statement revoked one agreement with France from 1972 which was meant to avoid double taxation and "establish rules of reciprocal assistance" in various tax matters. The other agreement had similar aims. "The persistent hostile attitude of France…
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Mali signs agreement with Russia to build gold refinery

Mali signs agreement with Russia to build gold refinery

MALI'S military government said it has signed an agreement with Russia to build a gold refinery in the capital Bamako, one of a slew of deals between the two countries as Russia seeks to extend its regional influence. The accord, a non-binding memorandum of understanding, involves building a 200-tonnes-per-year refinery, minister Alousséni Sanou said in an interview on state television broadcast late on Tuesday. The memorandum is valid for four years, he said, without giving a timeline for construction. If built, it would be the West African country's largest gold refinery. "This will allow us not only to control all…
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UN retreat from Mali in disarray as violence surges

UN retreat from Mali in disarray as violence surges

BEFORE United Nations peacekeepers hurriedly abandoned their base in Kidal in northern Mali, they made a costly call: with insurgents stationed nearby, they destroyed sensitive equipment to avoid it falling into the wrong hands, the U.N. said. Shortly after the last U.N. convoy rolled out, the ethnic Tuareg rebels announced they had taken over the base. Photos posted on social media on Wednesday appeared to show locals loading trucks with looted goods, including tyres, cables and chairs. Mali's ruling military junta in June ordered the decade-old UN mission, known as MINUSMA, to leave as its relations soured with former international allies. MINUSMA has…
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Putin talks security with Malian leader in third phone call in two months

Putin talks security with Malian leader in third phone call in two months

RUSSIAN President Vladimir Putin discussed trade and security with Mali's leader in their third phone conversation in less than two months, the Kremlin said. The frequency of Putin's contacts with Mali's interim president Assimi Goita underlines Moscow's strong interest in building its influence in the coup-prone Sahel region of West Africa where it is cultivating strong security ties at the expense of France and the United States. The two leaders discussed their "mutual commitment to further strengthening trade and economic ties, security cooperation and the fight against terrorism", the Kremlin said in a statement. Goita echoed this in a post on social media and…
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