Africa
Niger Coup: ECOWAS military chiefs to meet in Ghana
Niger Coup: ECOWAS military chiefs to meet in Ghana
The military chiefs of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) will meet on Thursday and Friday in Accra, Ghana, amid tensions over a possible military intervention in Niger, according to Ghana’s army spokesman.
ECOWAS member states had initially mulled a military intervention against those who carried out Niger’s coup, and the bloc’s heads of state had ordered a military force to be readied to restore constitutional order during a special summit, but they said a peaceful resolution of the conflict should continue to be pursued.
ECOWAS defence ministers and military chiefs already met a week after the coup in Niger and drafted deployment plans after they had issued an ultimatum against the putschists.
Of the 15 ECOWAS members, Nigeria, Senegal, Ivory Coast, Benin and Guinea-Bissau declared their willingness to provide troops in the case of an intervention.
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Mali, Burkina Faso, and Guinea, which were suspended from ECOWAS after their own coups, as is Niger now, want to support the junta in Niger militarily in the event of an intervention.
Niger, a country with around 26 million inhabitants and one of the poorest populations in the world, was, until the coup, one of the last democratic partners of the United States and Europe in the Sahel region on the southern edge of the Sahara.
The coup has plunged the region into a political crisis.
Former colonial power France and the US have important military bases in the country, which also lies on a key migration route to Europe.
On July 26, the military ousted the president and suspended the constitution.
The putsch leaders have since formed their own transitional government.
Niger Coup: ECOWAS military chiefs to meet in Ghana
(dpa/NAN)
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
South African man sentenced to six life terms for killing his relatives
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