Niger Coup
- Thread starter BMD
- Start date
And this is exactly why it remains a mess, coup after coup after coup. Africans have unrealistic expectations, they expect democracy to delivery European living standards overnight, and when faced with inevitable disappointment... coup.What a Mess! this whole region is in....!!
Gabon coup: Army seizes power from Ali Bongo and puts him in house arrest
President Bongo urges people to "raise your voice" in a video after the army said it had seized power.www.bbc.com
I was talking about mineral wealth. The countries named by you have reaped the benefits over 50 yrs while we all know about the loot of minerals and other such resources from Africa.It's true that Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and all those resource-rich Middle Eastern countries are in fact very poor.
General Brice Oligui Nguema is said to be a cousin of President Bongo. This coup looks like a family affair.What a Mess! this whole region is in....!!Gabon coup: Army seizes power from Ali Bongo and puts him in house arrest
President Bongo urges people to "raise your voice" in a video after the army said it had seized power.
In fact, there was no pro-Russian, anti-French campaign in Gabon, as there was in Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso.
that is the reason US has not imposed any sanctions on them yet but expressed just concern.
White House: US is deeply concerned by situation in Gabon
The United States is deeply concerned by events in the oil-producing West African nation of Gabon, where military officers said on Wednesday they had seized power, White House national security spokesman John Kirby said.
They even moved ahead with debt swap deal with no hiccups.
(france24, sept.06): Paris is preparing to proceed with the withdrawal of most of its drones, as well as a reduction in its air resources used against the JNIM (Support Group for Islam and Muslims, affiliated with al Qaeda) and the EIGS (Islamic State in the Greater Sahara). This leads to the departure of a significant part of the French workforce.
Fewer drones and aerial resources: in Niger, France intends to reduce its military scope
The “exchanges” between the Nigerien army and France on the withdrawal of “certain military elements” are becoming clearer. According to information obtained by France 24, Paris is preparing to withdraw most of its drones, as well as a reduction in the air assets previously used as part of the anti-jihadist fight carried out jointly with Niamey.These decisions should lead to the departure of some of the French soldiers present on site, while discussions are underway between Paris and the putschist soldiers, who are demanding the withdrawal of the French army.
Operations suspended for a month
This reduction in equipment would have been decreed due to the cessation of military cooperation between Paris and Niamey since the coup d'état of July 26. "The French army is there to carry out anti-terrorist operations. As this is no longer the case, part of the means have become useless; we are therefore going to downsize", explains a source, specifying that the capacity to carry out d The attack and defense "autonomously" will nevertheless be maintained with the French soldiers remaining on site.
More than a thousand French soldiers are still present in Niger as well as significant air capabilities. This device aimed to provide fire support (fire via aerial vectors, most often indirect, to support ground troops) and intelligence to the Nigerien army, collected in particular during surveillance flights.
Tuesday September 5, the French Ministry of the Armed Forces confirmed that discussions were underway with the junta, recognizing that "the question of maintaining some of our forces arises", in particular due to the maintenance of unused equipment such as drones , helicopters or fighter planes.
Escalation of tensions
France, which until now considered Niger a leading ally in the anti-jihadist fight in the Sahel, strongly condemned the coup, calling for the "restoration of constitutional order" and the release of the president. deposed Mohamed Bazoum, who still refuses to resign.
Paris also gave its support to ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States) which excluded Niger from its bodies and left the threat of regional military intervention to reinstate Mohamed Bazoum in power.
For their part, the country's new authorities, dubbed the National Council for the Safeguarding of the Homeland (CNSP), denounced the military agreements concluded with France and ordered the expulsion of the French ambassador, Sylvain Itté, to whom they withdrew diplomatic immunity and visa. Paris refuses his departure, believing that "the putschists have no authority" to make such a decision.
Read alsoIn West Africa, behind regional tensions, the question of the "relation to France"
A "very fast" start?
On Monday, during a press conference, the Nigerien Prime Minister appointed by the military in power, Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine, said that discussions were underway to obtain the departure of French soldiers "very quickly". However, he assured that his government hoped "if possible to maintain cooperation with a country with which we have shared a lot of things".
Forced to proceed with an accelerated departure from Mali during 2022, in a context of strong tensions with the military authorities in Bamako, France had refocused its military force in Niger, considered as a regional security lock.
The country, among the poorest in the world, has had to fight for several years in the area of the three borders, shared with Mali and Burkina Faso, against an upsurge in attacks by terrorist groups linked to Al-Qaeda and the organization Islamic State.
According to UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, dozens of people have been displaced in Niger amid renewed violence, including deadly attacks, since the coup. These increased sharply in the days following the putsch, says the UN organization, in a context of increased competition between the Jnim (Support Group for Islam and Muslims) and the EIGS (Islamic State in the Great Sahara). /deepl
Africa has gone global and the French proposal is no longer flexible enough politically speaking. Traditionally, our approach was: "we recognise countries, not regimes". That was Françafrique, but when France put an end to Françafrique, Africa asked for Russafrique.
President @EmmanuelMacron announces the repatriation of the French ambassador to #Niger and the end of military cooperation, already suspended, with a view to withdrawal by the end of 2023 @Elysee
17:20 - Joint France-Mongolia projects for uranium and lithium
French President Emmanuel Macron and his Mongolian counterpart, Ukhnaagiin Khürelsükh, signed a number of contracts at the Elysée Palace on Thursday, notably to further the search for rare metals such as uranium and lithium.
French nuclear fuel specialist Orano (formerly Areva) signed an agreement to develop a uranium mine in this vast landlocked country between Russia and China, the Elysée and Orano announced.
This project to exploit the Zuuvch-Ovoo mine in southwest Mongolia, where Orano has been present for 25 years, "is part of a dynamic of mutual reinforcement of strategic autonomy between France and Mongolia", according to the French presidency.
French President Emmanuel Macron and his Mongolian counterpart, Ukhnaagiin Khürelsükh, signed a number of contracts at the Elysée Palace on Thursday, notably to further the search for rare metals such as uranium and lithium.
French nuclear fuel specialist Orano (formerly Areva) signed an agreement to develop a uranium mine in this vast landlocked country between Russia and China, the Elysée and Orano announced.
This project to exploit the Zuuvch-Ovoo mine in southwest Mongolia, where Orano has been present for 25 years, "is part of a dynamic of mutual reinforcement of strategic autonomy between France and Mongolia", according to the French presidency.