Latest Niger News
Stampede kills at least 20 at refugee camp in Niger
NIAMEY, Niger (AP) — At least 20 people died in a stampede in Niger as they were being given food and goods at a refugee camp, a local official said. Diffa governor Issa Lamine said 15 women and five children were killed and 16 others were injured Monday at the camp in the southeast for people who fled...
US military downgrades efforts against extremists in Sahel
JOHANNESBURG (AP) — The U.S. military has switched from trying to degrade Islamic extremist groups in West Africa’s sprawling Sahel region to merely trying to contain them as their deadly threat increases, a new U.S. government report says. The quarterly report by the inspectors general for the...
French airstrikes, commandos kill 30 extremists in Sahel
PARIS (AP) — The French military says operations by French and Malian forces have killed 30 more extremists in Africa's Sahel region in recent days, amid stepped-up efforts to combat jihadist groups in the area. Two airstrikes Friday involving one of France's first armed drones killed some 20 militants in...
France to send extra 600 troops to fight Sahel extremists
France will deploy 600 additional soldiers in the African Sahel region to combat extremists, raising the amount of troops there to 5,100, the country's defense minister said Sunday. In a statement, Defense Minister Florence Parly said most of the reinforcements to the Barkhane force will be deployed in the three...
Study: Smuggled arms aid Nigeria’s farmer-herder conflict
DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Weapons that have been used in intercommunal violence that has killed thousands of people in northern Nigeria have been trafficked from Ivory Coast, Libya and Turkey, according to a new report by the Conflict Armament Research group. Fighting between farmers and semi-nomadic herders...
Allies worry as US ponders cutting military forces in Africa
DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — As extremist violence grows across Africa, the United States is considering reducing its military presence on the continent, a move that worries its international partners who are working to strengthen the fight in the tumultuous Sahel region. The timing is especially critical in the...
Czech Republic to send troops to Africa anti-terror mission
PRAGUE (AP) — The Czech government on Monday approved a Defense Ministry plan to deploy up to 60 troops as part of France's anti-terror mission in Africa. The service members will join Operation Barkhane, France's largest overseas military mission. It has been working to root out Islamic militants roaming...
Libya's neighbors, global envoys seek solutions to conflict
ALGIERS, Algeria (AP) — Top diplomats from Libya's neighboring countries and beyond met in the Algerian capital on Thursday amid intensifying international efforts to end the conflict tearing apart the oil-rich North African country. The meeting brought together foreign ministers from Egypt, Sudan, Chad,...
French summit aims to boost counterterror fight in W. Africa
PAU, France (AP) — French and West African heads of states vowed to boost their military efforts under a joint command in Africa's Sahel region, which has seen a surge of deadly violence. They also urged the U.S. to maintain its key support in the fight against Islamic extremism. Leaders of Mali, Burkina...
Niger army chief fired after 89 killed in extremist attack
NIAMEY, Niger (AP) — Niger’s president has fired the army’s chief of staff after attacks against security forces have killed at least 174 security force members since December. President Issoufou Mahamadou's action on Monday came after the death toll from an attack by Islamic extremists on...
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