Africa
Niger coup leaders under pressure as ECOWAS ‘finalises’ plan for military action
Niger coup leaders under pressure as ECOWAS ‘finalises’ plan for military action
Pressure mounted Saturday on the leaders of a coup in Niger on the eve of a deadline set by the West African regional bloc ECOWAS for the military to relinquish control or face possible armed intervention.
Former colonial power France, with which the junta broke military ties shortly after taking power on July 26, said it would “firmly” back whatever course of action ECOWAS took after the Sunday deadline expired.
“The future of Niger and the stability of the entire region are at stake,” the office of French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna said after she held talks in Paris with Niger’s prime minister, Ouhoumoudou Mahamadou.
ECOWAS military chiefs of staff have agreed a plan for a possible intervention to respond to the crisis, the latest of several coups to hit Africa’s Sahel region since 2020.
“All the elements that will go into any eventual intervention have been worked out,” ECOWAS commissioner Abdel-Fatau Musah said on Friday.
These included “the resources needed, and including the how and when we are going to deploy the force”, he added.
“We want diplomacy to work, and we want this message clearly transmitted to them [the junta] that we are giving them every opportunity to reverse what they have done,” Musah said.
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Niger has played a key part in Western strategies to combat jihadist insurgencies that have plagued the Sahel since 2012, with France and the United States stationing around 1,500 and 1,000 troops in the country, respectively.
Yet anti-French sentiment in the region is on the rise, while Russian activity, often through the Wagner mercenary group, has grown. Moscow has warned against armed intervention from outside Niger.
The coup “is an error of judgement that goes totally against the interests of the country”, French Armed Forces Minister Sebastien Lecornu told AFP in an interview Saturday.
Niger, one of the poorest countries in the world, relies heavily on foreign aid that could be pulled if President Mohamed Bazoum is not reinstated as chief of state, he added.
The junta has warned it will meet force with force.
Mali and Burkina Faso, where military juntas have taken power since 2020, have also said that any regional intervention would be tantamount to a “declaration of war” against them.
Bazoum, 63, has been held by the coup plotters with his family in his official Niamey residence since July 26.
In a column in The Washington Post on Thursday — his first lengthy statement since his detention — Bazoum said a successful putsch would “have devastating consequences for our country, our region and the entire world”.
Bazoum, who in 2021 won an election that ushered in Niger’s first-ever transfer of power from one civilian government to another, urged “the US government and the entire international community to help us restore our constitutional order”.
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Nigeria has cut electricity supplies to its neighbour Niger, raising fears for the humanitarian situation in the country, while Niamey has closed the vast Sahel country’s borders, complicating food deliveries.
Washington said that it had suspended some aid programmes but pledged that “life-saving humanitarian and food assistance will continue”.
In Nigeria, senior politicians have urged President Bola Tinubu to reconsider the threatened military intervention.
“The Senate calls on the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as chairman of ECOWAS to further encourage other leaders of ECOWAS to strengthen the political and diplomatic options,” he said.
Senators from northern Nigerian states, seven of which share a combined border of roughly 1,500 kilometres (900 miles) with Niger, have already advised against any intervention until all other options had been exhausted.
On Saturday, the country’s largest opposition grouping denounced the potential military operation in Niger as “absolutely thoughtless”.
The Coalition of United Political Parties argued: “The Nigerian military have been overstretched over the years battling terrorism and all manners of insurgency that are still very active.”
Tinubu himself on Thursday urged ECOWAS to do “whatever it takes” to achieve an “amicable resolution” of the crisis in Niger.
Niger coup leaders under pressure as ECOWAS ‘finalises’ plan for military action
AFP
Africa
Nigeria denies alleged plot to destabilise Niger Republic
Nigeria denies alleged plot to destabilise Niger Republic
The Federal Government of Nigeria has refuted “in very strong terms” allegations that it is plotting to destabilise neighbouring Niger Republic.
The Nigerien authorities alleged that the Lakurawa terrorist group, with the help of foreign security forces, including Nigerian security forces, were responsible for the attack on the Niger-Benin oil pipeline on December 13, 2024, in Gaya, Dosso Region of Niger Republic.
However, Nigeria, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a statement on Saturday signed by its acting spokesperson, Kimiebi Imomotimi Ebienfa, refuted the allegation.
“The Government of Nigeria condoles with the Government of Niger over the unfortunate attack on the oil pipeline, but informs that the perpetrators were neither backed nor assisted by Nigerian authorities.
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“The Government of Nigeria is strongly committed to the fight against terrorism and will not condone or support the activities of such groups.
“The Federal Government of Nigeria also expresses very serious concern and states categorically that there are no French military troops in the northern part of the country preparing to destabilize the Government of Niger.
“These allegations are unfounded and should be discarded in their entirety,” the Statement read in part.
It also noted that the relationship between Nigeria and France had always been cordial, saying it is guided by mutual respect, dignity, and non-interference in each other’s internal affairs.
The government of Nigeria assured that it would continue to explore all peaceful means to maintain its cordial relationship with the Republic of Niger for the benefit of the people of both countries.
Nigeria denies alleged plot to destabilise Niger Republic
Africa
Suspected witchdoctors arrested over attempt to ‘bewitch’ Zambia’s President
Suspected witchdoctors arrested over attempt to ‘bewitch’ Zambia’s President
Two men were detained in Zambia on charges of being “witchdoctors” tasked with attempting to bewitch the president.
The police stated they had arrested Jasten Mabulesse Candunde and Leonard Phiri in Lusaka.
“Their purported mission was to use charms to harm” President Hakainde Hichilema, according to the police statement issued on Friday.
Many individuals in the southern African country believe in and dread witches.
The police stated Mr. Candunde and Mr. Phiri were hired by Nelson Banda, MP Emmanuel “Jay Jay” Banda’s younger brother.
The MP was reportedly arrested last month in nearby Zimbabwe on robbery allegations, which he denies, but he has not been seen in public since.
He is also accused of escaping from detention in August while waiting to appear in court.
The opposition Patriotic Front (PF), led by z, has previously claimed that the charges are politically motivated.
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Emmanuel Banda, who has been an independent MP since 2021, previously worked with Lungu, who lost the presidency to Hichilema that same year.
The police stated the MP’s younger brother, Nelson, was “currently on the run” in their statement.
Mr. Candunde and Mr. Phiri face charges under Zambia’s Witchcraft Act for “possession of charms,” “professing knowledge of witchcraft,” and “cruelty to wild animals.”
The pair was found with “assorted charms,” including a live chameleon, according to the authorities.
According to the police statement, they claimed they had been given more than 2 million Zambian kwacha (£58,000; $73,000) for their “mission.”
The accused are in jail and will appear in court “soon,” according to the police, although no specific date has been set for the hearing. They have not yet responded in public to the charges.
Suspected witchdoctors arrested over attempt to ‘bewitch’ Zambia’s President
Africa
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