Niger

Niger investigating $5 mn sale of largest piece of Mars ever found on Earth

It's the largest piece of Mars ever found on Earth - a 25 gm meteorite that fetched more than $5 million at a New York auction last month, setting a world record. But in the West African nation of Niger, where the rusty-red rock was unearthed in the Sahara Desert, officials have launched an investigation into what they call possible illicit international trafficking, claiming it may have been smuggled out of the country. Sotheby's said the rock, named NWA 16788, was blown off the surface of Mars by a massive asteroid strike and travelled 140 million miles (225 million km) to Earth. It was discovered in the Sahara in northwestern Niger by a meteorite hunter in November 2023, according to the auction house. His identity was not disclosed. Nor was the identity of the buyer last month. Meteorite hunting is growing in arid Saharan countries like Niger. Though meteorites can fall anywhere on Earth, the Sahara has become a prime spot for their discovery in part due to the favourable clima

Indian Embassy in contact with Niger for Ranjit Singh's safe release: MEA

Indian workers Ganesh Karmali and Krishna Gupta, who were killed in the attack, have had their mortal remains repatriated to India, according to the MEA

Two Indians killed, 1 abducted in Niger; embassy seeks safe release

The Indian Embassy in Niamey is in touch with the local authorities to repatriate the mortal remains of those killed and ensure safe release of the abducted Indian

Two Indians killed, one abducted by terrorists in south-west Niger

Two Indians were killed and one abducted following a terrorist attack in south-west Niger, said the Indian Embassy here. "In a heinous terror attack on 15 July in Niger's Dosso region, two Indian nationals tragically lost their lives and one was abducted," the Embassy posted on social media on Friday. Unidentified gunmen attacked an army unit guarding a construction site in Dosso, about 130 kilometres from the capital Niamey, local media reported. The Indian mission said it is working with local authorities to repatriate the mortal remains of those killed. The embassy is also working to "ensure safe release" of the Indian abducted. Indians in the West African nation are also advised by the mission to remain vigilant.

US military completes withdrawal from junta-ruled Niger, says official

The withdrawal of US troops from Niger is complete, an American official said Monday. A small number of military personnel assigned to guard the US Embassy remain, Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh told reporters. Earlier this year, Niger's ruling junta ended an agreement that allowed US troops to operate in the West African country. A few months later, officials from both countries said in a joint statement that US troops would complete their withdrawal by the middle of September. The US handed over its last military bases in Niger to local authorities last month, but about two dozen American soldiers had remained in Niger, largely for administrative duties related to the withdrawal, Singh said. Niger's ouster of American troops following a coup last year has broad ramifications for Washington because it's forcing troops to abandon critical bases that were used for counterterrorism missions in the Sahel. Groups linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group operate in the vast .

Niger's junta says US military presence in country is no longer justified

Niger's junta said on Saturday the US military presence in the country is no longer justified, making the announcement on state television after holding high-level talks with US diplomatic and military officials this week. Niger plays a central role in the US military's operations in Africa's Sahel region and is home to a major airbase. The US is concerned about the spread of jihadist violence in the region, where local groups have pledged allegiance to al-Qaida and the Islamic State extremist groups. In reading the statement, the junta's spokesman, Col. Maj. Amadou Abdramane, stopped short of saying US forces should leave. He said Niger was suspending military cooperation with Washington and added that US flights over the country's territory in recent weeks were illegal. The US military in recent years began operating a major airbase in the Niger city of Agadez, some 920 kilometers (550 miles) from the capital of Niamey, using it for manned and unmanned surveillance flights and oth

Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso withdraw from West Africa's regional bloc

Three West African nations of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger have withdrawn from the regional economic bloc known as ECOWAS, their respective juntas announced Sunday, accusing the bloc of inhumane sanctions to reverse the coups in their nations. The juntas said in a joint statement read on state television that they have decided in complete sovereignty on the immediate withdrawal of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), alleging that the bloc has moved away from the ideals of its founding fathers and pan-Africanism after nearly 50 years of its establishment. Furthermore, ECOWAS, under the influence of foreign powers, betraying its founding principles, has become a threat to its member states and its populations whose happiness it is supposed to ensure, their statements read. It is the latest twist in a series of events that have deepened political tension in West Africa since it experienced its latest of a string of coups in Niger

Thwarted escape attempt by detained Prez Bazoum ousted in coup: Niger Junta

Niger's ruling junta said late Thursday it had thwarted an overnight attempt by deposed president Mohamed Bazoum to escape detention with his family nearly three months after he was detained in the wake of a military coup. In a communique, Col Maj Amadou Abdramane said that Bazoum tried to reach a waiting vehicle at around 3 am that was to take him to the outskirts of the capital, Niamey, along with his family, two cooks and his security personnel. From there, they were to be flown to Nigeria aboard two helicopters belonging to a foreign power, Abdramane said. This plan to destabilise our country was thwarted, Abdramane said, adding that the main perpetrators had been arrested and an investigation has already been opened by the public prosecutor. Bazoum has been under house arrest with his wife and son since being ousted in July, and has refused to resign. The junta had cut off his electricity and water. The United States has formally declared that the ousting of Bazoum was a coup

Blinken calls deposed Niger leader ahead of expected US declaration on coup

Secretary of State Antony Blinken called Niger's deposed President Mohamed Bazoum on Monday ahead of an expected decision by the Biden administration to formally declare that his overthrow was a coup d'etat. The State Department said Blinken called Bazoum to stress that a restoration of a freely elected government remains the best way for Niger to not only succeed for its people but also to remain a key partner of the U.S. and others in countering extremism. In the call, Blinken reiterated that a democratically elected, civilian-led government presents the best opportunity to ensure that Niger remains a strong partner in security and development in the region," the State Department said in a brief statement. The United States calls for the immediate release of all those unjustly detained following the military takeover, the department said. Blinken's call came as the administration is preparing to make a formal determination that July's military takeover in the central African nati

France's withdrawal from Niger can jeopardise counterterrorism ops in Sahel

The French troops withdrawing from Niger were seen as a key line of defence for about a decade in Western efforts against jihadi violence in Africa's Sahel region, the vast arid expanse south of the Sahara Desert. As the US keeps pushing for a diplomatic solution to resolve Niger's political crisis, analysts say the country's junta might struggle to sustain its relative peace with no external support. French President Emmanuel Macron has agreed to withdraw France's ambassador and troops from Niger after the July coup that deposed its elected president and triggered anti-French sentiment in the former colony. In response, the junta welcomed the end of imperialist and neo-colonialist forces" and said Monday that the withdrawal must follow a negotiated framework and mutual agreement. US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said in Kenya on Monday that Washington's desire is for Niger's political crisis to be resolved through diplomatic means and that the United States will continue to evalu

France will end its military presence in Niger, pull ambassador: Macron

French President Emmanuel Macron said Sunday that France will end its military presence in Niger and pull its ambassador out of the country after its democratically elected president was deposed in a coup. France has maintained some 1,500 troops in Niger since the July coup and refused a request by the new junta for its ambassador to leave. With tensions mounting, Macron said that he told the ousted President Bazoum on Sunday that France has decided to bring back its ambassador, and in the coming hours our ambassador and several diplomats will return to France. And we will put an end to our military cooperation with the Niger authorities. He noted that France's military presence in Niger was in response to a request from Niger's government at the time.

World disappointed by United Nations now looks elsewhere for answers

With dozens of world leaders descending upon New York for the United Nations General Assembly's annual gathering, global problems are showing up fast and thick at the world body's door

Niger's junta seeks to strengthen grip on power, prepare for intervention

The mutinous soldiers who overthrew democratically elected Niger President Mohamed Bazoum announced a raft of measures over the weekend that analysts say are aimed at strengthening their grip on power while preparing to defend against any military attempt by regional leaders to reinstate Bazoum. The junta led by Brig Gen Abdrahmane Tchiani ordered the Nigerien armed forces to go on maximum alert over threats of aggression to the national territory and asked the military-led governments of neighbouring Mali and Burkina Faso to send troops to help defend them. It also issued a Monday deadline to the French ambassador to leave the country and held a rally to gather support to force French troops out. France President Emmanuel Macron said Monday that the country's ambassador will remain in Niger. Macron spoke out firmly against the coup leaders while insisting that France is not Niger's enemy. Our policy is the right one. It depends on the courage of President Mohamed Bazoum, the ...

Military takeovers in Africa's Sahel hamper fight against terrorism: US

The United States warned Friday that the string of military takeovers in Africa's Sahel region will hamper the fight against terrorism and demanded that Afghanistan's Taliban rulers deny safe haven to terrorist groups including al-Qaida and the Islamic State. U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield told a U.N. Security Council meeting that the United States is focused on the increasing terrorism threat across Africa and continues providing its African partners with critical assistance in disrupting and degrading IS and al-Qaida affiliates. The long-scheduled council meeting on combating terrorism took place days after the head of Russia's Wagner Group, Yevgeny Progozhin, and top associates were reportedly killed in a plane crash after leaving Moscow. They had just returned from Africa where Wagner mercenaries are active in now military-ruled Mali and Burkina Faso, which face escalating terrorist threats. Thomas-Greenfield was asked after the council meeting what the West should do t

Niger junta expels French Ambassador Sylvain Itte as tensions mount

France's ambassador was accredited by the foreign ministry under ousted President Mohamed Bazoum, Niger's Foreign Minister Hassoumi Massoudou said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Friday

Niger junta's 3-year plan is a 'provocation,' says West African bloc

The West African bloc ECOWAS rejected the proposal by Niger's mutinous soldiers for a three-year transition to democratic rule, with a commissioner describing the slow timeline as a provocation. The door for diplomacy with Niger's junta remained open but the bloc is not going to engage in drawn-out talks that lead nowhere, Abdel-Fatau Musah, the ECOWAS commissioner for peace and security, told The Associated Press in an interview Wednesday. It is the belief among the ECOWAS heads of state and also the commission that the coup in Niger is one coup too many for the region and if we allow it then we are going to have a domino effect in the region and we are determined to stop it, Musah said. While direct talks and backchannel negotiations are ongoing, he said the door to diplomacy wasn't open indefinitely. We are not going to engage in long, drawn out haggling with these military officers We went down that route in Mali, in Burkina Faso and elsewhere, and we are getting nowhere, Musah

'Victory for Niger's coup leaders would be 'end of democracy in Africa'

If mutinous soldiers who ousted Niger's President Mohamed Bazoum succeed, it will threaten democracy and security across the region and the continent, a high-ranking member of Bazoum's political party warned in an interview with The Associated Press. Boubacar Sabo, deputy secretary general for the Nigerien Party for Democracy and Socialism, said Bazoum had been kidnapped by members of the presidential guard who overthrew him on July 26 and have since kept him under house arrest. What is happening in Niger, if it succeeds, is the end of democracy in Africa. It's over. ... If we fight today, it is to prevent these kind of things from happening and to ensure a future for our continent, Sabo said on Thursday. 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-Qaeda and the Islamic State group. The overthrow of the president nearly one month ago has been a big b

Niger's neighbours out of options as defence chiefs plan military force

Regional countries are facing a crisis of legitimacy as they run out of options and time to restore democratic rule in Niger after soldiers ousted the president last month, say analysts. Defence chiefs from the West African regional bloc, ECOWAS, are meeting in Ghana Thursday to discuss Niger's crisis after a deadline passed for mutinous soldiers to release and reinstate President Mohamed Bazoum or face military intervention. Bazoum was overthrown in July and remains under house arrest with his wife and son in the capital, Niamey. This is the first meeting since ECOWAS ordered the deployment of a standby force last week to restore constitutional rule in the country. It's unclear if or when troops would intervene. A force would likely consist of several thousands soldiers from Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Senegal and Benin and could take weeks or months to prepare, say conflict experts. ECOWAS has a poor track record in stemming the region's rampant coups: neighboring Burkina Faso and Mal

Nigeriens prepare for war against regional countries threatening to invade

Nigeriens are preparing for war against regional countries threatening to invade, three weeks after mutinous soldiers ousted the nation's democratically elected president. Residents in the capital, Niamey, are calling for the mass recruitment of volunteers to assist the army in the face of a growing threat by the West African regional bloc, ECOWAS, which says it will use military force if the junta doesn't reinstate the deposed President Mohamed Bazoum. ECOWAS has activated a standby force" to restore order in Niger after the junta ignored a deadline to reinstate and release Bazoum. The initiative, spearhead by a group of locals in Niamey, aims to recruit tens of thousands of volunteers from across the country to register for the Volunteers for the Defence of Niger, to fight, assist with medical care, and provide technical and engineering logistics among other functions, in case the junta needs help, Amsarou Bako, one of the founders, told The Associated Press Tuesday. "It's an ...

We want to ensure Niger's President Bazoum is safe: US State Department

The State Department also affirmed its support towards Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in achieving the stated objectives