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US warned Niger about ties to Russia, Iran before junta revoked accord, Pentagon says

US warned Niger about ties to Russia, Iran before junta revoked accord, Pentagon says

U.S. officials travelled to Niger last week to express concerns about the country's potential development of ties to Russia and Iran before the ruling junta revoked an accord governing the roughly 1,000 U.S. military personnel there, the Pentagon said. The Pentagon added it was seeking clarification about the way ahead. Niger said on Saturday it had revoked "with immediate effect" its military accord with the United States that had allowed Pentagon personnel to operate on its soil. Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh said the U.S. government had "direct and frank" conversations in Niger ahead of the junta's announcement, and was continuing…
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Niger revokes military accord with US, junta spokesperson says

Niger revokes military accord with US, junta spokesperson says

Niger's ruling junta has revoked with immediate effect a military accord that allows military personnel and civilian staff from the U.S. Department of Defense on its soil, junta spokesperson Colonel Amadou Abdramane said. The decision follows a visit by U.S. officials this week which was led by Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Molly Phee and included General Michael Langley, commander of the U.S. Africa Command. Abdramane, speaking on television in the West African nation, said the U.S. delegation did not follow diplomatic protocol, and that Niger was not informed about the composition of the delegation, the date of…
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Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger hint at a new west African currency: what it’ll take for it to succeed

Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger hint at a new west African currency: what it’ll take for it to succeed

ON 11 February 2024, the head of Niger’s ruling military junta, General Abdourahmane Tiani, spoke of the possible creation of a common currency with Burkina Faso and Mali. “The currency is a first step toward breaking free from the legacy of colonisation,” he said on national TV, referring to the CFA franc inherited from French colonisation. THIERNO THIOUNE, enseignant-chercheur, directeur du CREA, Université Cheikh Anta Diop de Dakar Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali, three former French colonies, have experienced military coups in recent years. They’re now all ruled by military regimes. They also formed a new defence alliance, known as…
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Junta-led Sahel states to form joint force to fight insurgents

Junta-led Sahel states to form joint force to fight insurgents

JUNTA-LED Niger, Burkina Faso, and Mali have agreed to set up a joint force to tackle security threats across their territories, Niger's armed forces chief Moussa Salaou Barmou said after a meeting with his counterparts. The decision is the latest sign of closer alignment to emerge since the three neighbours in West Africa's insurgency-torn central Sahel region severed military ties with longstanding allies including France and formed a cooperation pact known as the Alliance of Sahel States (AES). In a televised statement, Barmou said the new task force would be "operational as soon as possible to meet the security challenges," but did…
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West Africa trade will take a hit as Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso leave Ecowas

West Africa trade will take a hit as Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso leave Ecowas

THE membership of the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) has been whittled down from 15 to 12 following the unilateral withdrawal of Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso in February. Founded in 1975, Ecowas is one of eight regional economic communities recognised by the African Union to foster regional integration on the continent. Its main objective is to create a single, large trading bloc through economic cooperation. OLIVIER WALTHER, Assistant Professor in Geography, University of Florida Since 1975, Ecowas and its sister organisation the West African Economic and Monetary Union (known by its French acronym, Uemoa) have implemented numerous…
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West African bloc lifts sanctions on junta-led Niger

West African bloc lifts sanctions on junta-led Niger

THE West African regional bloc said that it would lift strict sanctions on Niger as it seeks a new strategy to dissuade three junta-led states from withdrawing from the political and economic union - a move that threatens regional integration. Leaders of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) met to address a political crisis in the coup-hit region that deepened in January with military-ruled Niger, Burkina Faso, and Mali's decision to exit the 15-member bloc. After closed-door talks, ECOWAS said it had decided to lift Niger sanctions including border closures, the freezing of central bank and state assets, and the…
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Niger names new ministers of mining and energy in reshuffle

Niger names new ministers of mining and energy in reshuffle

NIGER'S military government has named new ministers of mining and energy in a government reshuffle, splitting up the previous ministry of mines, petrol and energy into three posts, it said. Mahaman Moustapha Barke Bako, previously minister of mines, petrol, and energy, will now be minister of petrol. Professor Amadou Haoua was named the new minister of energy and Colonel Ousmane Abarchi was named minister of mines, according to a decree read out on state television, that did not give a reason for the reshuffle. All three are strategically important sectors for the West African country, where military officers overthrew the…
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Junta-led Sahel states confirm plan to form tri-state confederation

Junta-led Sahel states confirm plan to form tri-state confederation

JUNTA-LED Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger plan to proceed with the establishment of a confederation, the Malian foreign ministry said, as the three countries deepen ties via an alliance that threatens broader West African integration. The neighbours in the impoverished Sahel region announced in January they would quit the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) - a decision the bloc has urged them to rethink, warning of the additional hardships this withdrawal would bring. At a meeting in the Burkinabe capital Ouagadougou, their three ministers confirmed a joint commitment to withdraw from ECOWAS without delay and continue cooperation under a pact known…
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For West African juntas, CFA franc pits sovereignty against expediency

For West African juntas, CFA franc pits sovereignty against expediency

DAYS after Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger announced last month they were quitting the West Africa political union ECOWAS, Burkina Faso's military ruler Ibrahim Traore was already naming his next target: the region's CFA franc currency. "It's not just the currency. Anything that maintains us in slavery, we'll break those bonds," the 35-year-old army captain turned coup leader said in an interview, posted on YouTube. The three countries jointly announced on Jan. 28 they were pulling out of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) after it pressured them to restore constitutional order following a string of coups. Having…
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West Africa bloc urges Burkina, Niger and Mali not to withdraw

West Africa bloc urges Burkina, Niger and Mali not to withdraw

THE West African regional bloc ECOWAS pushed junta-led Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali to reconsider their decision to quit the political and economic alliance, it said, warning of the hardships the move would force on their citizens. The three countries' self-appointed military leaders jointly announced on January 28 that they were abandoning the bloc after it pressured them to restore constitutional order following a string of coups. Their departure threatens to further weaken ECOWAS, which has struggled to curtail a retreat of democracy in West Africa that started with a military takeover in Mali in 2020. Its mediation and security council met…
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