With Russia lurking and diplomatic channels failing, Washington is preparing to redeploy its troops from Nigerien soil while pressure from the Chadian army threatens to end its operations
Washington is maneuvering with authorities after a coup that left the country more closely aligned with nations like Russia and Iran and ended an agreement that allowed for the presence of a U.S. air base and 1,000 military personnel
Pentagon officials said U.S. had ‘lengthy and direct’ discussions with the junta officials that were also in part spurred by concerns over Niger’s potential relationships with Russia and Iran
The division between ECOWAS and the Alliance of Sahel States heralds a West Africa separated into antagonistic blocs, with different currencies, obliged to understand each other
After consolidating in Mali, Moscow is strengthening its collaboration with Burkina Faso and Niger through an armed structure intended to replace the Wagner Group
Almost half of countries have suffered setbacks in the democratic process in the last five years, according to the IDEA organization, which however highlights growing citizen participation
Climate challenges are at the root of problems faced by conflict-ridden countries in Africa’s Sahel region. The lending institutions are not taking the vulnerabilities of poor countries enough into account in their funding decisions, experts say
Hassoumi Massoudou, acting head of state of the overthrown government, says West African countries have experienced four coup d’états in two years. ‘They have said enough is enough’
The continent has witnessed 10 uprisings by the armed forces in four years and promises of transition periods to make way for civilian governments are not being honored
Drawn by natural resources, the mercenary corporation operates in Libya, the Central African Republic, Sudan, and Mali, where they strive to spread Russian influence and enrich the Kremlin
‘We will work together to find a way out of the crisis, in the interests of all,’ Gen. Abdourahmane Tchiani said, commenting after his first meeting with a regional delegation seeking to resolve the nation’s crisis
In a region rife with coups, Niger was seen as one of the last democratic countries that Western nations could partner with to beat back a growing jihadi insurgency linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group
This is the first meeting since the defense chiefs of the Western African regional bloc ordered the deployment of a ‘standby force’ last week to restore constitutional rule in the country
The fragility of the region’s states — some ruled to military juntas or immersed in civil wars — jihadism and disputes over natural resources have exacerbated instability
The head of the Russian paramilitary group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, has been meeting with representatives from Mali, the Central African Republic and Niger. The United States, meanwhile, is attempting to block the Wagner Group from profiting from African mines
The West African bloc ECOWAS had given the soldiers that overthrew Niger’s democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum until last Sunday to release and reinstate him or they threatened military action