Africa

Niger crisis: Russian mercenaries in Mali, prepare for war

Published

9 months ago

August 23, 2023

Niger crisis: Russian mercenaries in Mali, prepare for war

The crisis surrounding the military coup in the Niger Republic has taken a new turn with the entry of the Russian mercenary outfit Wagner in Mali with soldiers, weapons, and ammo.

Yevgeny Prigozhin, the commander of the Wagner gang, first appeared in a video a few days after it was thought he was in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He then turned up in Mali wearing military fatigues.

He claimed that the arrival of its team in Mali is to assist the Mali military government to dislodge terrorists and “any other interest”, according to a report monitor on Al-Jazeera.

Mali and Burkina Faso, also ruled by military junta, have both declared their backing for the Niger coupists.

They have faulted the sanctions slammed on Niger by Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the African Union (AU) following the military take-over.

They pledged to join Niger in resisting any form of force that might be used against the Niger junta.

To give vent to their pledge, they have reportedly moved troops to Niamey as a backup to the Niger military.

ECOWAS has rejected the three-year transition plan hinted by Niger coup leader General Abdourahamane Tchiani, reaffirming the possibility of use of force should dialogue fail.

The junta has also insisted that it would not respect ECOWAS position.

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The Wagner presence in Mali, which shares a long border with Niger is believed to be part of giving support in Niger.

The coup leaders had requested support from Wagner, and Prigozhin said his men were ready to provide it.

A former Russian official claimed Wagner and the Russian state conspired to facilitate the military coup in Niger.

“The recent coup in Niger was carried out in close cooperation with Russian special services and Private Military Company (PMC) consultants,” claimed Russian military blogger Mikhail Zvinchuk, a former press officer for Russia’s defence ministry, who uses the alias “Rybar”.

The junta took power last month, overthrowing the government of President Mohamed Bazoum and keeping him under house arrest at the Presidential Palace in Niamey.

But, former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai joined the push-back against use of force on the junta.

He said there is still hope for a peaceful resolution of the crisis though.

ECOWAS Envoy to Niger Republic, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, said the situation is not likely to deteriorate.

Gen. Abdulsalami, a former Head of State, spoke with reporters at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, after a meeting with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who is the Chairman of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of the ECOWAS.

Also at the meeting were President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr Omar Touray, and the National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu.

Gen. Abdulsalami, who had last weekend met with Bazoum and the junta leaders, said he delivered the peace terms proposed by the junta to ECOWAS.

According to him, correspondences were being exchanged between the West African regional bloc and the Niger military rulers.

He noted that the line of communication opened through his appointment as envoy had been very fruitful.

Gen. Abudulsalami said: “As you are aware, the ECOWAS Heads of State and Government have made me an envoy to Niger Republic.

“We were there over the weekend to see the military people and discussed how to find a way out of the situation.

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“That’s why I’m here, together with the President of the ECOWAS Commission, to report back to Mr. President on our discussions in Niger.

“I must say that our visit to Niger was very fruitful. It has opened an avenue to start talking and hopefully we’ll get somewhere.”

The former Head of State said President Tinubu would consult with his colleagues on the way forward.

Asked if military action can be avoided, he said: “Hopefully diplomacy will see the better of this. Nobody wants to go to war; it doesn’t pay anybody.

“But then again, our leaders have said if all fails and I don’t think all will fail, we’ll get somewhere and we’ll get out of this mess.”

Leaders of the AU, the 55-nation bloc, froze Niger’s membership as President Bazoum and his family remained under house arrest in the capital Niamey.

The announcement of the move was the first public communication from the AU since it met earlier this month to discuss the situation in Niger.

The AU council called on all member states and the international community to reject the country’s “unconstitutional change of government and to refrain from any action likely to grant legitimacy to the illegal regime in Niger.”

AU’s latest decision was contained in a communique issued on Tuesday.

It reads in part: “The AU decides, in line with the relevant AU instruments, in particular the AU Constitutive Act, the Protocol Relating to the Establishment of the Peace and Security Council of the African Union and the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance, to immediately suspend the participation of the Republic of Niger from all activities of the AU and its organs and institutions until the effective restoration of constitutional order in the country.

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“The AU in this regard calls upon all member states and the international community including bilateral and multilateral partners at large to reject this unconstitutional change of government and to refrain from any action likely to grant legitimacy to the illegal regime in Niger.”

AU also backed ECOWAS in its efforts to ensure a return to democratic rule in Niger.

“The AU commends the efforts of ECOWAS under the leadership of H.E. Bola Ahmed Tinubu, President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and calls on AU member states to fully implement the sanctions imposed by ECOWAS and endorsed by the PSC (Peace and Security Council) and requests the Commission, in consultation with ECOWAS, to regularly inform the Council on the progress being made on the implementation of the imposed sanctions,” the bloc added.

The junta is ploughing ahead with its own plans, promising to restore the country to constitutional rule within three years, a pledge West African nations rejected.

The AU has not indicated whether it would support the use of military force.

El-Rufai stated in a tweet that war within the sub-region would be between brothers.

“As ECOWAS beats the drums of war, I recall the 1970s rock classic by Dire Straits – ‘Brothers in Arms’, because a war within our subregion is a war between brothers,” El-Rufai tweeted.

His call to avoid military action is the latest from stakeholders in the North.

The Northern Senators Forum (NSF) had also urged President Tinubu to exhaust all diplomatic options first.

The forum warned that deploying troops to Niger would hurt seven northern states Sokoto, Kebbi, Katsina, Zamfara, Jigawa, Yobe and Borno who share borders with the landlocked West African nation.

Niger crisis: Russian mercenaries in Mali, prepare for war

(Nations)

Related Topics:coup Featured Mali Niger Russian mercenaries

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Africa

Army foils coup to topple DR Congo president

Published

1 hour ago

May 19, 2024

Trends Admin

Army foils coup to topple DR Congo president

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) army says it has repelled an attempted coup d’etat.

Sylvain Ekenge, the DRC army spokesperson, spoke in a televised address on the state-run RTNC TV.

“An attempted coup d’etat has been put down by the defence and security forces. The attempt involved foreigners and Congolese. These foreigners and Congolese have been put out of action, including their leader,” Ekenge said.

Ekenge said several suspects have been detained and the “situation is now under control”.

The army spokesperson did not give further information about the incident.

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His statement comes hours after armed men attacked the house of Vital Kamerhe, former chief of staff and close ally of President Felix Tshisekedi.

Kamerhe’s residence is about two kilometres from the presidential palace.

Michel Muhima, Kamerhe’s spokesperson, had said the gunmen clad in military uniform engaged the politician’s guards in a shootout, leaving three people dead.

Muhima said two of the deceased were police officers attached to Kamerhe while the other was one of the attackers.

The unrest in the country comes amid a dispute in the ruling party over the postponement of an election for the leadership of the country’s national assembly.

President Tshisekedi met with parliamentarians and party leaders on Friday in a bid to resolve the crisis.

Tshisekedi was reelected as president in December 2023.

Army foils coup to topple DR Congo president

Africa

Chad’s military ruler Derby declared winner of presidential election, opposition kicks

Published

1 week ago

May 10, 2024

Trends Admin

Chad’s military ruler Derby declared winner of presidential election, opposition kicks

Chad’s military leader, Mahamat Deby Itno, was declared the winner of this week’s presidential election, according to provisional results released Thursday. The results were contested by his main rival, Prime Minister Succès Masra.

The national agency that manages Chad’s election released results of Monday’s vote weeks earlier than planned. The figures showed Deby Itno won with just over 61% of the vote, with the runner-up Masra falling far behind with over 18.5% of the vote. Gunfire erupted in the capital following the announcement, though it was unclear if it was celebratory.

Preliminary results were initially expected on May 21.

Chad held its long delayed presidential election following three years of military rule, a vote that analysts widely expected the incumbent to win. Deby Itno, also known as Mahamat Idriss Deby, seized power after his father, who spent three decades in power, was killed fighting rebels in 2021.

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The oil-exporting country of nearly 18 million people hasn’t had a free-and-fair transfer of power since it became independent in 1960 after decades of French colonial rule.

Hours ahead of Thursday’s announcement, Masra published a speech on Facebook accusing the authorities of planning to manipulate the outcome.

During the 11-minute speech, Masra appeared in a blue suit at a podium with the national flag in the background and claimed victory, saying the incumbent was planning to reverse the outcome of the vote. He called on Chad’s military, police and other security forces to stop following Deby Itno’s orders.

“These orders will lead you to side with the wrong side of Chad’s history, these orders will lead you to fight your brothers and sisters, these orders will lead you to commit the irreparable and unforgivable,” he said in the speech. “Refuse to obey these unjust orders!”

There was no immediate response from the president’s office.

Chad’s military ruler Derby declared winner of presidential election, opposition kicks

Africa

Civil societies, Togo president on war path over new constitution eliminating elections

Published

1 week ago

May 9, 2024

Trends Admin

President Faure Gnassingbe

Civil societies, Togo president on war path over new constitution eliminating elections

The hope of having new leader in Togo has been dashed following the abolition of presidential elections in the West Africa country.

The development follows the signing of a controversial and widely condemned new constitution by President Faure Gnassingbe

The new constitution does not allow for election to the highest office in the land, an arrangement that will see the Gnassingbes consolidate their hold on power and extend their six-decade-long rule.

A statement from Gnassingbe’s office on Monday stated that, under the new legislation, only the parliament will have the power to select the president, eliminating direct elections.

According to Africa News, the election commission on Saturday announced that Gnassingbe’s ruling party had won a majority of seats in the nation’s parliament.

The report revealed that there was a crackdown on civic and media freedoms ahead of the vote, as the government banned protests against the proposed new constitution and arrested opposition figures.

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Also, the electoral commission banned the Catholic Church from deploying election observers.

In mid-April, a French journalist who arrived to cover the elections was arrested, assaulted and expelled. Togo’s media regulator later suspended the accreditation process for foreign journalists.

Provisional results showed the ruling Union for the Republic (UNIR) party won 108 out of 113 seats in parliament, and 137 out of 179 positions in the senate.

The new constitution also increases presidential terms from five to six years and introduces a single-term limit.

However, the almost 20 years that Gnassingbe has already served in office would not count toward that tally.

Togo has been ruled by the same family for 57 years, initially by Eyadema Gnassingbe and then by his son, Faure Gnassingbe, who took office after elections that the opposition described as a “sham.”

The political opposition, religious leaders and civil society say the proposed new constitution makes it likely that Gnassingbe will stay on when his mandate expires in 2025.

They also fear that the creation of a figure similar to a prime minister, to be selected from the ruling party, could become another avenue for Gnassingbe to extend his grip on power even beyond that new term.