Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso sign mutual defence pact
Mali has, in addition to fighting jihadists linked to Al Qaeda and the Islamic State group, seen a resumption of hostilities by predominantly Tuareg armed groups over the past week.
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Mali peace deal under threat following increase in attacks by armed Tuareg groups
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Over 1,000 people surged through the streets of Haiti’s capital Port-au-Prince on Sep. 18, calling for de facto Prime Minister Dr. Ariel Henry to step down and shouting their full support of Haitian farmers in the Northeast Department, who are finishing construction of an irrigation canal despite strong objection, threats, and border closure by Dominican President Luis Abinader.
Despite Peace Breaking Out in Haiti, Biden Still Calls for “UN-Backed” Invasion
Previously:
Biden Demands UNSC Approve Invasion of Haiti
Addressing the UN on Tuesday, President Joe Biden called on the Security Council (UNSC) to authorize sending a military force into Haiti to restore order. The White House has wanted the UN to take action in the Caribbean nation for a year but has struggled to find a country willing to lead the UN mission in Haiti.
Biden Demands UN Send Troops Into Haiti to Restore Order
Foundations representing nearly every former president from Herbert Hoover to Barack Obama released a joint letter on Thursday calling on Americans to engage in civil political discourse, and to remember that tolerance and respect are key to peaceful coexistence.
Presidential centers issue rare call to maintain civil discourse, protect democracy
The Pentagon reportedly plans to pull out some of its troops from the African country
The US has begun “repositioning” the troops it has in Niger and plans to cut their number “nearly in half” over the next several weeks, Politico reported on Friday citing two Defense Department officials.
US to cut military presence in Niger
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On the 10th of April 2022, the former president of Niger, Mohamed Bazoum posted on Twitter, that “about 30 senior state officials are guilty of embezzlement or misappropriation of public funds. One of them is Niger’s communications minister who had been detained in a high-profile embezzlement case dating from when he ran a state corporation that manages Niger’s mining sector. The 2 social activists that raised the corruption alarm, Abdoulaye Seydou and Adamou Idrissa, were later arrested and transferred to the high security prison according to their coalition.
Meanwhile, French Energy giant Orano announced that it was shutting down its second largest mine in Niger after 50 years of exploitation. Their reason was the uranium deposits at the sites have been depleted.
So in Niger, you have a country with its natural resources being depleted while senior officials in government are notorious and robbing the country. But there is more. According to a publication by Reuters, An audit by the Nigerien Budgetary Transparency Agency, reported a lack of documents to back several government spending and justify the cost of infrastructure projects. The report also noted fake public tenders, and the “granting of undue advantages to certain companies. However the former president Mohamed Bazoum maintained a clean posture that endeared him to the US and ECOWAS leaders.
The former president may not be the problem, but clearly his government was riddled with corruption.
In the morning July 26 2023, the Niger presidential palace and adjacent ministries were blocked off by military vehicles and palace staff were prevented from accessing their offices. The President Mohammed Bazoum had just been removed from office. Some civilian supporters of Bazoum tried to approach the palace, but were dispersed by the Presidential Guard with gunfire, leaving one injured. Elsewhere in Niamey, the situation was described as calm.
Later In the evening, Air Force Colonel-Major Amadou Abdramane went on state television to confirm that Bazoum had been removed from power and announced the formation of a National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland.
He also announced the suspension of all activities by political parties in the country until further notice.
Alarmed by the recurrence of military coup in the region, ECOWAS leaders swiftly responded and gave Niger’s coup leaders a one-week deadline to hand power back to Bazoum or face international sanctions and the region’s military intervention. However the defence minister of Neighbouring Nigeria, maintained the need for diplomacy. Present at the meeting to echo the fears of ECOWAS leaders that are grappling with similar corruption in their governments was Ghana defence minister.
Niger Military Coup | What They Are Not Telling You via Africa Views
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Read More »ROME (Sputnik) – On July 30, in response to a fresh coup in Niger, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) suspended all financial aid, froze rebels’ assets and imposed a ban on commercial flights to and from the country, as well as closed all borders. Nigeria, Niger’s southern neighbor, cut electricity supply to the nation.
EU Pleased Sanctions Cause Food, Medicine Shortages in Niger, Special Envoy Says
Video via Wongel Zelalem
Washington has chosen its own interests over its allies, a French diplomat has told the newspaper, following Victoria Nuland’s visit to Niger
France furious with US over Niger – Le Figaro
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US Considers Ways to Keep Its Military Presence in Niger
Turse explained in a recent article that in 2002 and 2003, the first years of US counterterrorism assistance to Niger, the State Department counted just nine terrorist attacks in all of Africa.
“Last year, the number of violent events in Burkina Faso, Mali, and western Niger alone reached 2,737, according to a report by the Africa Center for Strategic Studies, a Defense Department research institution. This represents a jump of more than 30,000 percent since the US began its counterterrorism efforts,” Turse wrote.
Washington is halting some aid to Niger even as it eyes greater support for Burkina Faso’s military coup-maker.
At Least Five Members of Niger Junta Were Trained by U.S.
Let’s continue to follow the post-coup situation in Niger. We had Victoria Nuland travel to Niger, presumably to help organize the overthrow of the government since 1- that’s usually what a visit from Nuland portends and 2 – a “rebel movement” called the Council of Resistance for the Republic under the leadership of someone named Rhissa Ag Boula started just after her visit. If there is going to be a Western war over this coup, it is likely that Nigeria – the giant country in West Africa with 224M people, much bigger than all other countries in the region combined – will be a part of the intervention, as would France and presumably the US. Other countries of the region are lining up on one or the other side, with Burkina Faso, Mali, and Algeria all lining up with the post-coup Niger government, so we are in a scary situation.
Why might Africa want France gone?
Related:
ECOWAS Activates Standby Force for Potential Niger Intervention
Ms. Cat’s Chronicles 
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