Latest Niger News
A year has passed since Niger's dramatic coup. Life has become more dangerous and desperate
ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — When a group of military officers appeared on state television in Niger one year ago to make a dramatic announcement of a coup, they said they deposed the West African nation's elected government for two key reasons: its security, and economic crises. But...
Terrorism and organized crime rampant in Sahel and spilling into West Africa coastal states, UN says
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Terrorism and organized crime by violent extremist groups linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State are a “pervasive threat” in Africa's volatile Sahel region and are spilling over to West Africa's coastal countries, the top U.N. envoy for the area warned Friday. ...
Inmates escape from one of Niger’s most fortified prisons where jihadis are held
NIAMEY, Niger (AP) — Nigerien authorities enforced a curfew Friday as they searched for inmates who escaped from one of the country's most fortified prisons in the Tillaberi region after it was breached under unclear circumstances. Niger’s Ministry of Interior alerted government...
Senegal’s leader wasn't born when ECOWAS was founded. He's asked to reunite the bloc split by coups
ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Senegal’s President Basirou Diomaye Faye, Africa's youngest, is suddenly faced with a huge challenge of reuniting a weakened regional bloc that is older than him. The 44-year-old Faye was tasked on Sunday with getting the military junta-ruled Mali, Niger and...
Military leaders of Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso rule out returning to the ECOWAS regional bloc
NIAMEY, Niger (AP) — Military junta leaders of Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso on Saturday ruled out returning their nations to the West Africa regional bloc whose division could further jeopardize efforts to undo coups and curb violence spreading across the region. The leaders of...
US says troops are leaving Niger bases this weekend and in August after coup
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. will remove all its forces and equipment from a small base in Niger this weekend and fewer than 500 remaining troops will leave a critical drone base in the West African country in August, ahead of a Sept. 15 deadline set in an agreement with the new ruling junta, the...
Expanding extremist groups in Africa fuel worries that they could attack the US or Western allies
GABORONE, Botswana (AP) — Violent extremist groups linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group are growing in size and influence across Africa, fueling worries that as they improve their tactics they could attack the U.S. or Western allies. U.S. defense and military officials...
US struggles with shaky relations and troop cuts in African nations as military leaders meet
GABORONE, Botswana (AP) — The forced U.S. troop withdrawals from bases in Niger and Chad and the potential to shift some troops to other nations in West Africa will be key issues as the top U.S. military officer meets with his counterparts this week at a chiefs of defense conference. ...
Coup-hit Niger was betting on a China-backed oil pipeline as a lifeline. Then the troubles began
ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — A China-backed pipeline that would make Niger an oil-exporting country is being threatened by an internal security crisis and a diplomatic dispute with neighoring Benin, both as a result of last year’s coup that toppled the West African nation’s democratic government. ...
Niger revokes French company's operating permit at major uranium mine
NIAMEY, Niger (AP) — Nigerien military authorities have withdrawn the operating permit for a large uranium mine from the French company Orano, the company said, significantly escalating tensions between the military junta and the country's former colonial power. Niger, a landlocked...
