#ABDOURAHAMANE TCHIANI

[kirstythejetblackgoldfish]

Miscellaneous, but my personal favourite collage

[ammg-old2]

Late last month, armed troops in Niger overthrew the government, arrested the elected president, and seized power for themselves. Soon after, a small group of Nigeriens who supported the coup in the capital city, Niamey, gathered to show their support for the military government, some waving the Russian flag. They denounced the West in general, and France, the former colonial power, in particular. “Long live Putin!” they chanted. “Down with France!”

The coup has created considerable alarm in Western capitals, and with good reason. Since 2020, there have been coups throughout the Sahel, the strategically important belt of hot, semiarid land stretching across Africa just below the Sahara desert. In 2020, Mali’s government fell. In 2021, the same thing happened in Sudan, Chad, and Guinea. Last year, a coup took place in Burkina Faso. Niger was seen as the Sahel’s final bulwark against chaos and instability, the last regime standing. The United States had a drone base in Niger, and France had stationed troops there, a crucial line of defense against surging West African jihadism. Now all of that is at risk.

Few Americans are in the habit of giving much thought to Niger (“Do you mean Nigeria?”), but this summer’s events seemed to offer a stark takeaway: Pro-Russian soldiers overthrew a pro-Western government. Democracy was uprooted by military dictatorship. To anyone who lived through the Cold War, the story felt familiar. The fact that Niger exports uranium—a crucial resource for nuclear reactors—makes its struggle even easier to understand as a geopolitical chess game. Niger was a pawn, and coups happen when pawns are pulled between geopolitical kings. And so, the coup has quickly become a story about America, Russia, and France—and not about Niger.

When explaining major events in international news, particularly those that take place in unfamiliar locations, we all tend to exhibit geopolitical bias, a mindset that filters every incident through the prism of international grand strategy—and makes the moral of every story about us. Simplistic, familiar narratives trounce nuanced explanations that involve political actors few nonspecialists have heard of, known by obscure acronyms and hard-to-pronounce names.

The military coup in Niger has already become fodder for sensational headlines and political statements linked to grand geopolitical tropes. A senior adviser to Ukraine’s president insisted, without evidence, that Russia instigated the coup. Bloomberg covered the coup as the latest evidence for the “Long Arm of the Kremlin.” Newsweek declared that Niger’s coup means “The Countdown to the Next Great War Has Begun in Africa.”

Russia will likely expand its influence because of the Niger coup (and there have been reports that the junta is requesting help from the Wagner Group mercenaries). But much of the speculation about the extent of Russia’s involvement so far is based on extremely thin evidence—a few hundred people, in one protest, in one city, a handful of them carrying Russian flags, in a country that’s twice the size of France and home to more than 25 million people. Even before the coup, Niger’s capital city was an opposition stronghold, so one should hardly be surprised that some people who live there would demonstrate in support of soldiers who overthrew a president they loathed.

The impetus behind the coup is very likely complex, nuanced, and less about the Kremlin than about domestic dynamics. The possibility of a more banal local cause doesn’t negate the real anger that many Nigeriens feel toward France, or the misguided impulse some have to turn to Russia as an alternative international sponsor that’s explicitly anti-Western. But the simple explanation for why the coup happened, as reported in the local media, is plausibly the right one.

The incumbent president, Mohamed Bazoum, had been planning to fire a general, Abdourahamane Tchiani, who commanded the elite presidential guard. Now that the coup has happened, General Tchiani isn’t going to be fired. Instead, he has proclaimed himself the head of the new military junta, which calls itself the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland.

The Occam’s-razor explanation may just be correct: A general who was going to be fired decided to fire the president instead. Many coups have such simple origin stories, triggered by factional rivalries within the military, and ambitious, self-serving men who would happily swap the barracks for the palace.

Whatever the reason for his gamble, Tchiani likely didn’t anticipate the intense opposition he has faced since seizing power. Most international actors, including Russia, have condemned the coup (though the Kremlin’s statement about respecting the constitution is best consumed with a grain of salt). And perhaps the most surprising threat to Tchiani’s plans has emerged from a major regional power broker, the Economic Community of West African States. The bloc of 15 West African countries, with Nigeria as its most powerful member, has taken a hard-line stance against the coup, even threatening military intervention. As a result, some have painted ECOWAS as a puppet of the West, the sharp end of the European and American spear.

Yet again, a simpler (and less geopolitically exciting) explanation is likely correct. ECOWAS may not be taking a tough stance against this coup because it’s a marionette or because it has an ideological aversion to Vladimir Putin; the governments of its member states may just be concerned about their own self-preservation.

“One reason why regional presidents are interested in military intervention is because they’re increasingly scared of being taken out themselves,” says Professor Nic Cheeseman, an expert on African politics at the University of Birmingham. “It comes after several other coups in the region, and they realized that they could be next if they didn’t draw a line in the sand.”

Niger’s coup may not have originated in great-power competition so much as in politics and other dynamics nearer at hand—but it could still have serious international repercussions. The security situation in the Sahel is deteriorating as jihadism rises. The junta governments that have taken power in the past three years have proved unable to combat it. Moreover, although many of the new military regimes—notably in Mali and Burkina Faso—have allied themselves with Russia, the Russian government and the Wagner Group are not exactly flush with spare cash or bursting with well-trained troops waiting to deploy to Africa, bogged down as they are by their debacle in Ukraine. In the coming months, the postcoup regimes in the Sahel are likely to realize that they’ve swapped Western partners, which had deep pockets and a long-term commitment to supplying foreign aid, for a diminished Kremlin that will inevitably overpromise and under-deliver. The money will eventually run out.

Europe has skin in the game: France, which is mostly powered by nuclear energy, gets roughly 10 to 15 percent of its uranium supplies from Niger. Moreover, in 2015, the European Union paid Niger’s government to effectively create a European “Sahel border,” shutting down pathways of migration through Niger toward the Mediterranean. The coup could reopen that route, reinvigorating the formerly thriving transit hub of Agadez. The United States cares about Agadez too: The American drone base Niger Air Base 201 is just outside the town.

If Niger’s junta manages to stay in power, it will almost certainly align itself with Russia. The interim regime has already announced the cancellation of several military agreements with France. But it’s in for a rude awakening if it cozies up to the Kremlin. Russia, as Mali and Burkina Faso are finding out, is rich enough to pay for small contingents of mercenaries and to line the pockets of greedy soldiers, but it is nowhere near rich enough to help provide for the broader population of one of the world’s poorest countries, where the GDP per capita is less than $600 a year.

As is so often the case in sub-Saharan Africa, the victims will be those who can least endure it. The broader population of Niger will suffer as soldiers turned politicians enrich themselves. And that story, which is not about geopolitics, but rather about the ordinary distress of millions of vulnerable people, will be one that garners substantially less ink.

[gameofthrones2020]

War In Africa: What is Happening in Niger

War In Africa: What is Happening in Niger and this will impact the West Africa Sub-region and how its also impact ECOWAS

What is happening in Niger and why the region of West Africa may be facing turmoil, civil war and border dispute.Niger, officially the Republic of Niger, French République du Niger, is a western African landlocked country. It is bounded on the northwest by Algeria, on the northeast by Libya, on the east by Chad, on the south by Nigeria and Benin, and the west by Burkina Faso and Mali. All these…

[kingonews]

NIGER: LE GENERAL ABDOURAHAMANE TCHIANI UN PREMIER GOUVERNEMENT DU CNSP COMPOSÉ DE 21 MEMBRES.

Le président du Conseil national pour la restauration de la patrie (CNSP) au Niger, le général Abdourahamane Tchiani, a signé mercredi soir un décret portant la nomination des membres du gouvernement, lequel se compose de 21 membres, dont quatre femmes, a-t-on appris jeudi de source officielle. Ce cabinet, qui compte également trois militaires, ne comprend aucun ancien ministre du gouvernement…

[sauolasa]

Nuovo "uomo forte" in Niger: il generale Abdourahamane Tchiani

Mentre resta nebulosa la situazione nel Paese centrafricano, la Russia - anche attraverso il gruppo Wagner, presente in Nigeria - rischia di diventare un punto di riferimento per i militari golpisti. Nominato il nuovo uomo forte: il generale Abdourahamane Tchiani

[zvaigzdelasas]

With immediate effect, the Republic of Niger under the leadership of General Abdourahamane Tchiani, and supported by the people of the Republic, announced the suspension of the export of uranium and gold to France on Sunday. In parallel to the decision, protestors were surrounding the French Embassy in Niger calling for the end of French colonial practices repeating the slogan “Down with France!” and reaffirming their support to the coup leader, Tchiani. Wazobia Reporters, a Nigeri[a]n news website, reported on protestor proclaiming “We have uranium, diamonds, gold, oil, and we live like slaves? We don’t need the French to keep us safe." Simultaneously the Nigerien coup leader has faced condemnations and threats from African governments that maintain ties with the European linked institutions such as the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the EU as well as the African Union. In that regard, Tchiani said, "We want to once more remind ECOWAS or any other adventurer of our firm determination to defend our homeland.”[...]

Currently, uranium production in Niger occurs mostly through a French majority-owned company called Orano which owns 63.4% of Société des Mines de l’Aïr (SOMAÏR). The remaining 36.66% of this is owned by Niger's Société du Patrimoine des Mines du Niger, known as Sopamin. In 2021, the European Union utilities purchased 2905 tU of Niger-produced uranium making Niger the leading uranium supplier vis-a-vis the EU.

31 Jul 23

[humanrightsupdates]

Niger: Press freedom in jeopardy as journalists working on conflict intimidated and arrested

Press freedom in Niger is in jeopardy as transitional authorities intimidate and arbitrarily arrest journalists reporting on the country’s conflict and security-related issues, said Amnesty International today.

Since the 26 July 2023 coup, in which the country’s Presidential Guard commander Abdourahamane Tchiani detained President Mohamed Bazoum and was proclaimed President of the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland (Conseil National pour la Sauvegarde de la Patrie, CNSP), which is leading the transition, press freedom has been curtailed and journalists are self censoring amid fear of intimidation and reprisals.

“This disregard for the right to freedom of expression and media freedom and the work of journalists comes at a time when people need accurate information about the conflict affecting them and the transitional authorities’ response to it. We call on the Nigerien authorities to unconditionally release journalists arrested and detained for exercising their right to freedom of expression or for dealing with sensitive information of public interest, and to ensure that journalists can carry out their work without fear of harassment, intimidation, arrest or detention,” said Samira Daoud, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for West and Central Africa.

On 24 April 2024, the editor of the L’Enquêteur newspaper, Soumana Maiga, was arrested after his paper published a story about the alleged installation of listening equipment by Russian agents on official state buildings. He is being detained on a charge of “infringement of national defence.” If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in prison.

[libertariantaoist]

News Roundup 10/12/2023 | The Libertarian Institute

Here is your daily roundup of today's news:

News Roundup 10/12/2023

by Kyle Anzalone

Russia

The US on Wednesday announced a new $200 million arms package for Ukraine that includes HIMARS ammunition, artillery shells, anti-tank weapons, and other equipment. AWC

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky sent a request to Tel Aviv to coordinate a trip to Israel in a show of support. The White House is trying to unify the wars in Israel and Ukraine by pushing a spending bill that includes aid for Kiev, Tel Aviv, Taipei, and funding for the border wall. The Institute

The White House has conveyed to members of Congress that it will request an emergency supplemental funding package that will include military aid for Israel, Ukraine, and Taiwan, as well as additional funding for border security, NBC News reported on Wednesday. AWC

China

Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX), chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said Wednesday that Egypt warned Israel of a potential attack three days before Hamas launched its incursion into southern Israel, confirming earlier reports. AWC

Gaza’s only power plant was shut down on Wednesday after it ran out of fuel as the situation in the besieged enclave is becoming increasingly desperate for civilians after days of relentless Israeli airstrikes. AWC

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) on Tuesday declared that “we’re in a religious war” and called for Israel to “level” the Gaza Strip, home to over 2 million people, including about 1 million children. AWC

The New York Times reported on Wednesday that US intelligence shows Iranian leaders were surprised by the Hamas attack on southern Israel and that no evidence has been found indicating Iran helped plan the operation. AWC

Niger

Washington formally declared the July 26 ouster of Nigerien President Mohamed Bazoum – and the subsequent establishment of a miliary junta in Niamey – a coup d’etat on Tuesday. The junta, called the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland (CNSP), is led by Gen. Abdourahamane Tchiani. Per US law, this designation means the US will indefinitely cut off all military assistance, including counterterrorism and training missions. The Institute

Read More

[mauriciomeschoulam]

Ola golpista en África, ahora Níger: conexiones jihadismo, Wagner y Ucrania

Publicado originalmente en El Universal: https://www.eluniversal.com.mx/opinion/mauricio-meschoulam/ola-golpista-en-africa-ahora-niger-conexiones-jihadismo-wagner-y-ucrania/

Acaba de ocurrir un nuevo golpe de Estado en el Sahel africano. Esta vez es Níger el país que se suma a otros en donde esto ha estado sucediendo en los últimos años. Más allá de lo local, podemos observar gran cantidad de elementos compartidos en la zona, los cuales terminan por conectarse con una serie de factores regionales y globales. Es decir, ya sea que hablemos de Níger o de Burkina Fasso, Malí o Sudán, tenemos que incluir en el análisis temas como el jihadismo, la rivalidad entre las superpotencias y su competencia por espacios de influencia, así como la guerra en Ucrania, y ahora mismo, la insurrección del grupo de contratistas Wagner en Rusia y los vínculos que esta organización potencialmente estaría tejiendo con el gobierno golpista en Níger. Del otro lado tenemos la respuesta de la Comunidad Económica de Estados de África Occidental (ECOWAS por sus siglas en inglés) y sus amenazas de intervenir, posiblemente respaldados por EU y Francia. Así que recuperamos la discusión desde donde la dejamos y actualizamos el tema.

El golpe en Níger

El 26 de julio, un grupo de soldados nigerinos que se hacen llamar el Consejo Nacional para la Protección de la Patria (CNSP) anunció que había tomado el control del país. En su acción, suspendieron todas las instituciones, disolvieron la Asamblea Nacional y la constitución, y cerraron las fronteras. El 27 de julio, el ejército de Níger emitió un comunicado expresando su apoyo al CNSP, a pesar de que en un principio éste había estado del lado del presidente destituido, Mohamed Bazoum. Ese presidente, quien había sido democráticamente electo, era considerado un aliado de EU y Occidente. El miércoles desapareció después de que sus propios guardias lo detuvieran en el palacio presidencial en la capital, Niamey. El 28 de julio, el CNSP instaló al comandante de la guardia presidencial, Abdourahamane Tchiani, como jefe de Estado.

Como dijimos, esto se suma a una cadena de golpes de Estado en la misma región, formando un corredor de seis países que se extiende a lo largo de 3,500 millas, desde la costa oeste hasta la costa este del continente (NYT, 2023), lo que incluye a países como Guinea, Sudán, Mali, Burkina Faso y ahora Níger.

Factores locales como la corrupción, el descontento social, la violencia insurgente y la debilidad de los estados, han contribuido a estos golpes. Pero hay algunos patrones y conexiones que rebasan lo local, las cuales vale la pena revisar:

Factores compartidos

1. Sobre el jihadismo en la zona: el Sahel africano es una de las regiones más afectadas por terrorismo desde hace años. Según el Índice Global de Terrorismo 2023, en los últimos 16 años, las muertes por terrorismo en la región han crecido más del 2,000 por ciento, un incremento que está muy “lejos de abatirse”. Esto se relaciona con motores esencialmente sistémicos que incluyen “una débil gobernanza, polarización étnica, inseguridad ecológica, abusos por las fuerzas de seguridad de los estados, conflictos pastorales, el crecimiento de la ideología del islam salafista, inestabilidad política, crimen organizado transnacional, inseguridad alimentaria y la competencia geopolítica global” (IEP, 2023).

2. Burkina Faso y Malí se encuentran entre los cinco países más golpeados por terrorismo en el mundo. Pero, además, hay otras cosas que esas cifras no revelan. De acuerdo con la ONU, la conflictiva del Sahel está dejando a más de 10 millones de niñas y niños en necesidad de ayuda humanitaria, más del doble que en 2020. En general, de acuerdo con un reporte procedente del Centro de Estudios Estratégicos de África (2023), las fatalidades por la militancia islámica en el continente subieron un 50% en el último año.

3. Una de las banderas políticas que los generales golpistas en la región han esgrimido, ha sido la de prometer un más eficiente combate en contra del extremismo jihadista. Además, como acá lo hemos compartido, la investigación muestra que, mientras más miedo existe en una sociedad—algo natural, producto del incremento del terrorismo en su región—más dispuestas se encuentran esas sociedades a sacrificar libertades y a apoyar a figuras autoritarias que prometen recuperar su seguridad vulnerada.

4. La competencia y rivalidad entre potencias globales se ha dejado sentir en la zona. En este caso, se trata de una región con una alta influencia histórica de Francia. Ese país ha enviado misiones militares para apoyar en el combate contra distintos grupos jihadistas, pero dos cosas son evidentes en estos últimos años: la primera es que la eficacia de estas tropas francesas ha sido enormemente limitada, y la segunda es que el gobierno de Macron optó por irse desvinculando de este combate por otro tipo de prioridades que han ido emergiendo. Esto a su vez se conecta con otros dos elementos. Uno, que los generales golpistas emplean continuamente consignas antifrancesas (o anti-ONU) en el discurso que justifica sus acciones, y dos, que Rusia ha estado aprovechando los vacíos provocados para incrementar su influencia en la región. Ahora mismo, en el caso de Níger, una vez más estuvimos viendo banderas rusas ondeando entre grupos que apoyan a los golpistas.

5. El método principal que, al menos hasta hace un tiempo, Moscú empleaba para incrementar dicha influencia, es justamente el Grupo Wagner, una empresa militar privada que usualmente era vinculada al Kremlin, al Ministerio de Defensa ruso (particularmente a la Dirección Principal de Inteligencia militar, o GRU) y al Servicio de Seguridad Federal (FSB), la sucesora de la KGB. La presencia de personal del Grupo Wagner en países como Malí, a donde llegó asistido por las Fuerzas Armadas Rusas desde diciembre del 2021 (CSIS, 2022), había venido creciendo de manera considerable hasta antes de la intervención rusa en Ucrania. Paralelamente crecía también la actividad política y diplomática de Moscú en la zona, así como sus lazos con los gobiernos de facto. Todo esto, mientras que distintos sectores de las sociedades de esos países aceptaban el discurso que culpa a Francia y a las misiones de paz de la ONU por su situación de seguridad. Lo interesante entonces, no es solo la prevalencia de un sentimiento antioccidental y anti-ONU, sino la emergencia de un sentimiento prorruso en determinados sectores de dichas sociedades.

La insurrección de Wagner y el caso de Níger

1. Tras la insurrección del grupo Wagner en Rusia, la relación entre esa agrupación y el Kremlin está cambiando de formas que aún no se terminan de revelar. Ha habido momentos en los que la ruptura entre Putin y Prigozhin, el líder de Wagner, parece evidente. Pero hay otros en los que esa ruptura parece menos clara y más bien lo que emerge es una negociación con términos que siguen fluyendo. El tema africano es un buen ejemplo de ello.

2. Considere lo siguiente: El 27 de julio—apenas un día después del golpe en Níger—Yevgeny Prigozhin estuvo presente en San Petersburgo (mientras esa ciudad hospedaba el Foro Económico y Humanitario Rusia-África) y se reunió informalmente con líderes africanos, lo que sugiere que el Grupo Wagner tiene la intención de seguir siendo un actor importante en África. Las fotos de Prigozhin estrechando manos con un funcionario de la República Centroafricana y el "director de Afrique media" fueron amplificadas por blogueros rusos. Según se reportó, Prigozhin sostuvo reuniones privadas e informales con representantes de varios gobiernos africanos en un hotel cercano al foro, aunque no asistió formalmente a la cumbre (ISW, 2023).

3. De manera especial, Prigozhin utilizó el foro para presentar a Wagner como un socio viable contra Occidente en el contexto de la situación en Níger tras el golpe. Los canales de Telegram afiliados a Wagner comenzaron a circular una grabación de audio presuntamente de Prigozhin el 27 de julio en la que elogió la destitución del presidente nigerino Mohamed Bazoum por parte del ejército, mientras acusaba a las naciones occidentales de desestabilizar deliberadamente la situación en África y apoyar a “organizaciones terroristas”. Prigozhin sugirió que “mil combatientes” de Wagner podrían restaurar el orden, presumiblemente en el Níger posterior al golpe. Varios blogueros rusos respondieron a la supuesta grabación de audio de Prigozhin y sugirieron que Níger necesitará “ayuda” de Wagner similar a la que Mali necesitó después de su golpe en mayo de 2021 (ISW, 2023).

4. Según algunos de los documentos de inteligencia recientemente filtrados en EU, Wagner está buscando establecer una “confederación” de estados africanos que sean “prorrusos y antioccidentales”. Para ello, un informe del Soulfan Center (SC) estima que Wagner se está aprovechando tanto del vacío generado por los repliegues de Francia, EU y otros aliados de la zona, como de la vulnerabilidad que prevalece en esas regiones ante el ascenso de la violencia terrorista y de otros actores no estatales.

5. Así, los contratistas privados de Wagner han brindado asistencia militar, logística y operaciones de información en varios países africanos, incluyendo a Libia, República Centroafricana, Malí, Burkina Faso y Sudán. Wagner también tiene conexiones con la República Democrática del Congo y está en pláticas para expandirse a Zimbabue y Eritrea. Wagner ha empleado a Argelia y a Camerún como puntos logísticos, ha operado en Madagascar, Mozambique, Sudán del Sur y Guinea Ecuatorial y planea contrarrestar la influencia occidental en Guinea (SC, 2023). Níger sería una pieza más de ese tablero.

6. En otro sentido, de acuerdo con el informe, la presencia de Wagner en África ha tomado por sorpresa a Estados Unidos y sus aliados. Es decir, ante la falta de una estrategia bien planeada e implementada por Washington, EU está perdiendo terreno en la competencia entre las grandes potencias en esa zona del mundo.

7. Considerando todo lo anterior, parece poco probable que el grupo Wagner desaparezca de la escena africana. Incluso si modifican el nombre de esa organización, o algunos aspectos de forma, se puede hipotetizar que Moscú sigue altamente interesada en usar una estrategia que incluya a Wagner o a una agrupación similar a fin de avanzar sus metas de influencia en la región del Sahel y en otras partes.

Respuesta de la Comunidad Económica de Estados de África Occidental, EU y Francia

1.Tras la ola de golpes de estado en seis de sus países miembros, en 2022 los líderes de ECOWAS acordaron establecer una fuerza de seguridad regional para responder a amenazas jihadistas y prevenir golpes militares. No obstante, esto no se ha implementado aún.

2. Ahora bien, según se ha reportado, los principales funcionarios de defensa de ECOWAS se reunirán esta semana para discutir una posible intervención militar en Níger (Rane, 2023), pero para estar preparada para esa misión, la ECOWAS tendría que superar problemas logísticos, de seguridad, y evitar la disidencia política entre sus miembros.

3. La unidad dentro del ejército nigerino es hasta este punto incierta, lo que podría facilitar dicha intervención de ECOWAS o influir en el restablecimiento de Bazoum como líder.

4. Adicionalmente, considerando el panorama global y regional arriba descrito, EU y Francia estarán interesados en apoyar la restitución del presidente Bazoum y no perder ese espacio de influencia. De hecho, el 28 de julio, el líder de la junta, Tchiani, acusó a Francia de estarse preparando para intervenir militarmente. El Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores de Francia no confirmó ni negó la acusación, aunque Macron se comprometió a responder “inmediatamente” a cualquier acto de violencia contra los intereses franceses en Níger. Manifestantes golpistas atacaron la embajada francesa en Niamey el 30 de julio (algo que ya se ha vuelto común en esta ola de golpes).

5. Aún así y a pesar del respaldo que una intervención internacional en contra de los golpistas pudiera tener, asumiendo que ésta sí ocurra, lo más probable es que Francia y EU colaborarían sobre todo de manera indirecta, aportando equipo, financiamiento y armamento. Si deciden participar de forma más directa, Francia tiene de 1000 a 1500 tropas en ese país y EU tiene poco más de 1000. Estaremos observando lo que ocurra en los días que siguen.

En suma, lo ocurrido en Níger obedece sin duda a una serie de factores propios del país que deben considerarse. Pero para efectos del análisis sistémico y global que hemos venido efectuando acá, es importante tomar en cuenta que lo de Níger se añade a una cadena de eventos previos en los que el jihadismo regional y transnacional, se están mezclando con la lucha de poder local, la rivalidad entre las superpotencias, la guerra en Ucrania y ahora mismo la difusa relación entre Wagner y Moscú.

1 de agosto, 2023

[kirstythejetblackgoldfish]

[delectablywaywardbeard-blog]

Il premier del Niger: “Su migranti e Russia decidiamo noi, l’Europa non ci dia lezioni”

NIAMEY (NIGER) — Lo scorso 26 luglio un colpo di Stato guidato dal generale Abdourahamane Tchiani ha deposto il presidente della Repubblica del Niger Mohamed Bazoum. Da allora il Niger è governato dal Consiglio Nazionale per la Salvaguardia della Patria (Cnsp). In questa intervista esclusiva con Repubblica, la prima su un media occidentale, il primo ministro Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine racconta la…

[kingonews]

TROIS JOURS APRÈS LE COUP D'ETAT DU NIGER, LE GÉNÉRAL ABDOURAHAMANE TCHIANI SAUTO-PROCLAME PRÉSIDENT.

Trois jours après avoir annoncé la destitution du Président Bazoum Mohamed, le Conseil National pour la Sauvegarde de la Patrie (CNSP) a désigné ce vendredi 28 juillet 2023, le général Abdourahmane Tchiani comme chef de la junte militaire désormais aux commandes du Niger.Jusque-là patron de la Garde présidentielle, un poste qu’il occupait depuis 2011, le nouvel homme fort du pays s’est aussitôt…

[antiimp]

Bei anderen gelesen …

Aus „Junge Welt“, vom 05. Dezember 2023 Russische Delegation in Niger empfangen Niamey. Erstmals seit dem Militärputsch im Niger Ende Juli ist eine russische Delegation offiziell in das westafrikanische Land gereist. Die von Russlands Vizeverteidigungsminister Junus-bek Jewkurow geleitete Delegation wurde am Montag von Nigers Staatschef Abdourahamane Tchiani empfangen, wie die Militärregierung…

[beardedmrbean]

Niger's military leader has refused to release the country's deposed president in exchange for sanctions being lifted.

Ecowas - an alliance of West African countries - made the offer after a summit on Sunday.

It has demanded the release of Mohamed Bazoum several times since he was put under house arrest in late July.

His relatives say they have had no information about him since he tried and failed to escape from detention on 19 October.

On Sunday, Ecowas leaders met with the region still in crisis after military takeovers in Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, Guinea since 2020, and two attempted coups elsewhere in recent weeks.

Ecowas has repeatedly demanded that Niger's junta reinstate civilian rule as soon as possible. The bloc has threatened military intervention and suspended all trade ties to the landlocked country, to no avail.

On Sunday, the alliance once again joined local and international partners in calling for the junta to release Mr Bazoum.

It also demanded the junta shorten its planned transition to civilian rule, which currently stands at three years.

Ecowas did not say what would be considered an acceptable transition period.

Later in the day, Niger military leader Gen Abdourahamane Tchiani told state broadcaster RTN that Mr Bazoum would not be released.

Gen Tchiani did agree to reduce the transition period, but did not say by how much.

In response to the general's address, Ecowas on Monday said it would maintain its sanctions on Niger.

However, it said it would create a committee to work with Niger's junta on establishing a transition roadmap and based on the outcome of those talks, sanctions would gradually be eased.

On 19 October Mr Bazoum, his family, cooks and security tried to escape confinement via helicopter - but they were stopped.

Family members say the last time they heard from him was the day before the escape plan.

Since the coup, the relatives have spoken out about the "abusive" treatment they have dealt with at the hands of the new military regime.

[zvaigzdelasas]

[BBC is UK State Media]

Since General Abdourahamane Tchiani overthrew the president in a coup on 26 July, Russian colours have suddenly appeared on the streets.[...]

The businessman, based 800km (500 miles) away in the central city of Zinder, didn't want to give his name for safety reasons and asked that we blur his face. "I'm pro-Russian and I don't like France," he said. "Since childhood, I've been opposed to France. "They've exploited all the riches of my country such as uranium, petrol and gold. The poorest Nigeriens are unable to eat three times a day because of France." The businessman said thousands had taken part in Monday's protest in Zinder in support of the military takeover. He said he had asked a local tailor to take material in the Russian colours of white, blue and red and make an outfit for him, denying that it had been paid for by pro-Russian groups. Niger is home to 24.4 million people where two in every five live in extreme poverty, on less than $2.15 a day.[...]

In Niger, anti-French protests were frequently banned by Mr Bazoum's administration. Several civil society groups began escalating anti-French protests in mid-2022, when Mr Bazoum's administration approved the redeployment of France's Barkhane forces to Niger after they had been ordered to leave Mali. Key among them is the M62 movement, formed in August 2022 by a coalition of activists, civil society movements and trade unions. They led calls against the rising cost of living, poor governance and the presence of the French forces.

Various planned protests by the group were banned or violently put down by Niger's authorities with its leader Abdoulaye Seydou jailed for nine months in April 2023 for "disrupting public order". The M62 appears revitalised in the wake of President Bazoum's removal.

In an unusual move, its members were quoted by state TV mobilising mass protests in support of the junta, as well as denouncing sanctions by West African leaders over the coup.[...]

"I want Russia to help with security and food," he said. "Russia can supply technology to improve our agriculture". But Moutaka, a farmer who also lives in Zinder, rejects this argument and says the coup is bad news for everyone. "I don't support the arrival of Russians in this country because they are all Europeans and nobody will help us," he said. "I love my country and hope we can live in peace."

31 Jul 23